


Deuxieme

by Mistory



Series: Little Prince [1]
Category: Free!
Genre: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Friendship, Gen, Jealous Nanase Haruka, Prequel, References to The Little Prince, but not in the way you think, oops i did it again
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-10
Updated: 2015-10-08
Packaged: 2018-04-20 01:08:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 25,763
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4767869
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mistory/pseuds/Mistory
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Before Makoto found his identity as a Beta, he had to go through a lot of obstacles. It all began when he made his first friend, an enigmatic old lady by the name of Ms. Lise.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

_Avant de Partir_

The earliest memory that Makoto had was when he was four and his mother scolded him for putting away someone else’s toy.

“That’s their responsibility, not yours!” she’d said emphatically. It was strange how strong she felt about the issue, so Makoto made sure that he didn’t do it again. But he’d seen kids pick up after other kids; it wasn’t anything out of the norm! He didn’t understand, but the next time Kenji-kun dropped that plastic egg toy he liked so much, he supposed he would leave it well alone.

The second earliest memory was meeting Ms. Lise.

“Makoto,” his mother had called one day. “Let’s go welcome our new neighbor! Well…our old neighbor I suppose, but she’s recently come back from her long vacation with her husband.”

Up until then, Makoto had always been afraid of going to the house at the top of the stairs. Not only because it was right next to the temple, which looked fearsome in its own right, but because it seemed cold and lonely with no one living in it. He couldn’t imagine what an old couple would do in such a big house by themselves, but the fact that the lights were on and the chimney was smoking made his steps come a little easier.

Even in the present, Makoto remembered his first impression of Ms. Lise. She’d opened the door with a flourish and gave a sweet, old lady grin before accepting Makoto’s gift basket. Her hair was gray and twisted into a braid that hung over her shoulder, and she wore the biggest red dress Makoto had ever seen. Her husband was next to her, but he didn’t really look as dramatic as Ms. Lise.

What Makoto remembered most was her _smell_.

It was as if someone had dropped a bucket of perfume on her. It was tantalizing, mysterious, and oh-so- _strong_. When he’d first smelled it, Makoto had been afraid. Ms. Lise was such a big personality, and though she looked Japanese she didn’t act like it.

Before Ms. Lise, Makoto had noticed a pattern among adults.

One adult was always the strong one. In Makoto’s family, it was his Dad. He was the one who spoke to any newcomers, and even when some old friends came along, it was his father who talked the most while his mother offered simple comments here and there.

There were some families where both adults were relatively quiet. Those families always had quiet kids that Makoto liked to play with, but oftentimes the kids turned out to be too boring or too…goody-goody. They didn’t break any rules, and while Makoto didn’t like getting punished, he didn’t understand why it was so important for those children to follow custom.

Ms. Lise, however, never followed custom. Her husband was nice, and spoke more than his mother did. He heard his parents discussing it one night, and that was when he first heard the term Alpha.

Mr. Hervé was this “Alpha.” But his parents had no clue what Ms. Lise was.

“Kaa-san,” Makoto remembered saying one night. “What’s an _Alpha_?” His mother had been tucking his covers in, but she froze at his words.

“Where did you hear that, Makoto?” she asked gently, but Makoto was sufficiently startled by her reaction.

“O-oh, someone on TV said it,” he replied lightly. Makoto’s mother frowned.

“We know what you watch, Makoto,” she said. There was an edge of worry in her tone. “Please tell me the truth. You know I don’t like it when you lie.”

Makoto gulped. He didn’t like lying, and he hated being found out even worse. “I heard you and Tou-san talking about it,” he confessed. “When you were talking about Ms. Lise and Mr. Hervé.”

She let out a long, slow sigh. Makoto fidgeted, not knowing what to do or say to make her feel better.

“Kaa-san?” he asked quietly. “I can…forget about it?”

His mother smiled kindly at his eagerness, but her smile held a twinge of sadness. “Makoto, my precious, precious boy. Believe me when I say that you’ll know everything when you’re older. Now’s not the time.”

It was funny. Makoto knew that his parents didn’t mind when he bent the rules, unlike many of his “playdates,” but this rule he vowed not to break. So far, no one has said anything about Alphas. He had a strong suspicion that his parents played an integral role in this, but he didn’t want to push it.

At any rate, Ms. Lise was a better playmate than any of the others. Makoto loved stories, and he’d listen to them all day if he could. Ms. Lise not only knew a lot of stories, but she told them as if he was in them right then and there, adventuring away over the sea, across the desert, in the jungle. It was hard at first, because she would often mix up Japanese words with another language, but Makoto soon got a hold of her dialect and even parroted some words back to her.

“ _Tu veux apprendre le_ _français_?” she once asked eagerly.

Makoto kind of knew what she said. “Tu” was him, usually, or sometimes it was Mr. Hervé. “Veux” was what Ms. Lise asked whenever she had cookies and Makoto had to say “yes, please.” But the rest of it was all different.

He nodded vigorously, and to his delight his friend seemed pleased.

“ _Bon_!” she exclaimed. “Then I’ll tell you a very special story. You must promise not to forget it, and you must retell it to me by the end.”

Makoto gulped, but Ms. Lise went over to her bookshelf and pulled out a rather old, dusty book.

“This old thing has been beaten up throughout my family’s generations,” she chuckled. “This edition belongs to me.”

She returned to the shelf and pulled out a newer looking book, one that had a picture of a small blond boy with a yellow scarf. She came back to the couch and handed it to Makoto.

“This one is yours. Take care of it. It is in _français,_ so you will learn quickly.”

Makoto examined the book, then opened the back cover. Ms. Lise chuckled and turned it to the front.

“You read novels like this from left to right,” she explained. “It’s how they do it where I come from.”

“Where do you come from, Ms. Lise?” Makoto asked.

He fully expected her to avoid his question, because he really didn’t care where she came from. All he cared about was who she was now, and Ms. Lise had all sorts of different ways of cleverly deflecting his questions.

“First lesson!” she announced. “When you’re asking ‘where,’ the word is _où_.”

“ _Où_?” Makoto repeated.

Ms. Lise laughed. “ _Parfait,_ Makoto-chan. This is how you say where. And where are you is ‘ _Où es-tu?’”_

 _“Où es-tu?”_ Makoto repeated again. He smiled. The words sounded so different from his mouth; his lips stretched wide and narrow to accommodate them, and it was wonderfully bizarre.

“ _Je suis ici_ ,” Ms. Lise replied happily. Her eyes suddenly focused on Makoto with a quiet, intense glimmer, and Makoto noticed just how blue they were. “ _Je serai toujours ici_.”

“ _Je serai toujours ici.”_

* * *

 

Makoto didn’t understand why his parents were so happy with Ms. Lise, but they were.

“Thank you so much, Lise-san,” his father would tell her. And she was close enough so that his mother would also talk to her.

“Makoto has been much more adventurous because of you,” she’d say, and the thing about his mother’s voice was that it was quiet, but intense. Makoto couldn’t see how he’d become “more adventurous,” but if he knew anything it was that his friend could turn anything into a story.

Ms. Lise would smile kindly at his parents and tell them that it was only two friends entertaining each other as the summer days went on.

Mr. Hervé would always return to find Makoto and Ms. Lise engrossed in a game about something they’d read in their books. One day, it was about the serpent.

“If I was the prince,” Makoto declared. “I’d slice the serpent’s head off. I don’t want to die like that!”

“ _Mais_ Makoto,” Ms. Lise countered. “What if that was the only way you could get home? With a snakebite?”

Makoto hadn’t known the answer to that. The pain of the snakebite versus the pain of never seeing his family again? He frowned and folded his arms angrily.

“What kind of family is a stupid flower anyway?” he snapped. “There are tons of roses in the world. Why is his so special?”

Ms. Lise only smiled cryptically before deflecting the conversation.

“Well, it’s a tough choice to make _chouchou_ ,” she said warmly. “You’ll understand when you have to let go of something important to you.”

“Like my stickers?” Makoto asked. Ms. Lise’s eyebrows flew up and she gave a bellowing laugh.

“Maybe for now,” she giggled. “But later, there may be different decisions that you’ll have to make.” To Makoto’s surprise, her face sobered a little. “Sometimes people don’t see you for who you are. Sometimes you must make different decisions to find out for yourself. Remember that going against the tide, it’s not always bad, Makoto.”

They paused in silence as Ms. Lise’s words sunk in. Makoto wondered what she meant. There was a certain helpless sadness in Ms. Lise’s eyes, a kind Makoto had never seen before. With a sigh, she pulled him close.

“You’re a darling boy, Makoto. You’re going to make a big change,” she said. “But you’re going to have to be strong. What do you want most out of the world? You have to answer that question on your own.”

The old woman seemed so sad. It was uncharacteristic of her. Makoto wondered what sort of troubles she’d gone through for her to feel this sadness, and with a slight purse of his lips he began to cry.

“Oh dear!” Ms. Lise exclaimed, pulling away. “Makoto, Makoto!” She was laughing as she wiped away his tears. “You certainly don’t have to answer that question anytime soon!”

“You’re s-sad!” Makoto cried, and Ms. Lise’s hands stopped moving. “Something happened and you’re sad!”

She paused. “So you’re crying for me?” she asked. Makoto’s face twisted up again and he nodded.

He had seen Ms. Lise cry only twice. That had been the first time.

* * *

The second time was two years later.

Makoto came back from school gushing about his class.

“And we learned that we Present before middle school!” he chirped. “I might be an Alpha, or an Omega!”

"Ah," Ms. Lise said, turning towards him. She motioned for a pair of wet pants to hang to dry. Makoto handed them to her and continued to babble.

"I just hope I'm not a Beta," he muttered. "Then I'll just have to be a day-care worker or something. I can't wait to test my blood!"

Ms. Lise rolled her eyes good-naturedly. “My, my. When we were younger, we didn’t have the technology that you youngsters had,” she said. “I Presented the old fashioned way.”

“What’s the old fashioned way?” Makoto asked curiously. He also wanted to know what Ms. Lise’s Nature was.

“Well,” Ms. Lise explained. “ _Les hommes et les femmes_ would be an Alpha if they hit their Rut, an Omega if they had their Heat, and a Beta if neither of those occurred by the time they were in college. Now, though, they use your blood to see if you are one of the three, even if you haven’t grown the necessary parts.”

Makoto was surprised. His classmates had told him that their mothers seemed to be in pain when they were in Heat, and their fathers got very tough and harsh if they were close to a Rut. Makoto’s own parents seemed mellower, but he noticed that his mother got a bit curter and his father got a bit more impatient when they were close to their “time.”

Ms. Lise never got that way. But suddenly, Makoto didn’t want to know what Ms. Lise was. She could be a Beta, but with old age Alphas weren’t as aggressive, and Omegas weren’t as emotional. Ms. Lise was still adventurous, like an Alpha, but calm, like a Beta. She was also emotional sometimes, like an Omega.

If Makoto knew what she was, he knew he would only look for those qualities in her. And suddenly, he never wanted to know what he was.

His lip trembled.

“What is it, _chouchou_?” Ms. Lise asked worriedly.

“ _Je pense_ ,” Makoto began, before he realized that he didn’t quite know the words. “I think that I don’t want to know what I am.”

Ms. Lise’s eyebrows pinched. Suddenly she looked like what she was; an old woman.

For a long moment, she stared at Makoto. He wasn’t watching her, but he knew she was watching him. If Ms. Lise was an Omega, he knew that she wouldn’t be able to go on adventures with him. If Ms. Lise was an Alpha, he knew that he couldn’t tell her his deepest concerns. And if she was a Beta…well, she wouldn’t be as vibrant. She would fade away, and her stories and laughter would be an echo in his mind.

But what about him? If he was an Alpha, he couldn’t cry as much as he did now. If he was an Omega, he couldn’t go on wild adventures. And if he was a Beta…

He may as well not exist at all, right?

“Makoto,” Ms. Lise said sharply.

Makoto lifted his head and met her angry gaze. He stiffened; he wasn’t used to Ms. Lise being angry with him.

“It doesn’t matter what you are. It matters _who_ you are,” she said sternly. Makoto’s lip wobbled and her gaze softened as if by magic. “Come here.”

He fell into her arms, which were stronger than any Alpha, softer than any Omega, and more present than any Beta. “To you, I am not anything. To me, you are not anything,” she said softly. “To me, you are some _one._ ”

“ _Et pour moi, vous_ _ê_ _tes trop importante_ ,” Makoto answered, struggling to get the words out. His face was buried in Ms. Lise’s arm, so he didn’t see her expression when her breath caught in her throat.

He did feel two warm tears drop on his arm, and he lurched back to see Ms. Lise laughing gently.

“Oh, you are a sweetie,” she giggled, wiping away her tears. There was a certain heartbreak in her eyes, one that Makoto couldn’t name. “Tell me again. Who was your favorite character in _Notre-Dame de Paris_?”

“Phoebus,” Makoto said instantly.

“He was a Beta, was he not?”

“Really?” Makoto said suddenly, eyes wide. “But he was a good guy!”

“Not necessarily,” Ms. Lise admitted. “But that wasn’t because he was a Beta. It was because his character wasn’t as strong as it seemed. The author, you know, tried to differentiate between Natures and personalities.”

“ _Vraiment_?” Makoto gasped. A small part of him was itching to hear a story. A smaller part of him was itching to make Ms. Lise feel better.

“ _Oui_ ,” she said, her eyes glinting. “Do you remember who my favorite character is?”

“Quasimodo,” Makoto recited.

“Very good,” she replied. “And do you know what Nature he was?”

“What?”

“He was an Alpha.”

At this, Makoto’s jaw dropped. The hunchback who was deaf and severely crippled, who stayed holed up in his bell tower, who shared a deep, emotional love for Esmeralda…he was an _Alpha_?

“You see, chouchou, the author understood something that people are still learning today,” she said. “And that is that your Nature isn’t _who you are_.”

Her last words were said with such conviction that Makoto felt them resonate within his very soul. Whenever he felt unsure, even as he grew into a fourth grader, he remembered her words. And soon, Alphas, Betas, and Omegas were at the back of his mind.

* * *

 

Things were brought back into focus when Mr. Hervé sailed out to sea and never came back.

There had been a new school of fish spotted somewhere beyond the usual fishing spot, and Mr. Hervé had sailed out with his fishing partners to try and catch them. If he managed to do it, he and Ms. Lise would be able to make a grand feast and invite the entire block. Ms. Lise was very excited, and her happiness was so infectious that Mr. Hervé left with a larger grin than usual.

Makoto had seen him off with pleas for presents when he stopped by a nearby wharf, and Mr. Hervé had promised to get him a couple of goldfish.

He never returned from his trip.

Ms. Lise had been telling Makoto a sad story about a man whose name he couldn’t ever remember and a girl named Cosette, who had the prettiest name but one that Makoto couldn’t pronounce. She was telling him how the author was the same as the one who wrote _Notre-Dame de Paris,_ but she had stopped suddenly.

Thunder echoed outside. Ms. Lise was frozen.

That was three days before Mr. Hervé was reported dead. His crew had sunk at sea because of a storm that no one had predicted. Ms. Lise hadn’t smiled in all that time. She had become quiet, sullen, and her eyes watered every so often.

But Makoto wasn’t devastated because of Mr. Hervé’s death. He was devastated because of the guilt that followed.

Mr. Hervé had been hit when he had changed course to the wharf. If it hadn’t been for Makoto, he would have never gone to the wharf and instead would have returned home.

He couldn’t look Ms. Lise in the eye. He couldn’t look out at sea without crying.

Neither of his parents knew the reason for his sadness, but they tried all the same. They asked him if he wanted to go to Mr. Hervé’s funeral. Makoto, out of obligation, went.

Ms. Lise hadn’t gone. She wore black, but she didn’t leave the house.

As time wore on and fourth grade began its second half, Makoto only withdrew further. Mr. Hervé had been a mostly absent figure, especially when compared to the vivacity of Ms. Lise, but as Makoto thought about it, he’d been the fuel to her fire. And, unknowingly, he’d been the stability that Makoto had always counted on.

The next month had been torture. Makoto went to school listless and returned home even more listless. He came up with excuses for Mr. Hervé’s death to make it so it wasn’t his fault. The storm would have hit the boat even if it wasn’t going to the wharf (not true). Mr. Hervé would’ve probably gone to the wharf anyway without Makoto’s plea (not true as well).

It was not Makoto’s fault. He didn’t predict the storm, and he would never wish ill on Mr. Hervé.

That much was undeniably true, and Makoto realized that the realization made his heart ache worse.

He was so sure that Ms. Lise blamed him for her husband’s death, so when he managed to see her walking down the aisle in the grocery section, he turned and dashed the other way.

“ _Une minute, chouchou_!” she’d cried weakly. Makoto teared up at the pet name.

“ _Non! Je ne suis pas un chouchou_ ,”Makoto said miserably, but he stopped. Ms. Lise caught up to him and he noticed just how weak she looked. But she was wearing a smile.

“ _Tu es toujours mon chouchou_ ,” she said kindly. Makoto’s lip wobbled.

“It was my fault,” he said quietly. Ms. Lise’s eyes grew sad.

For a moment, they only stood next to each other. It was the most distance Makoto had felt from someone up until then. Ms. Lise gradually realized that Makoto genuinely felt at fault.

“If I had known you were feeling this way, I would have talked to you sooner,” she said firmly. “You didn’t wish for the storm. You loved my husband. It wasn’t your fault, Makoto.”

He let her words wash over him, and for the most part he believed her. But he couldn’t, not fully. He turned away and looked at the ground, still ridden with guilt.

“Hervé would have wanted you to be happy, Makoto,” Ms. Lise said gently. “And so do I. You are our _petit prince_ , you know.” Makoto’s head swung around and he was staring at Ms. Lise, wide-eyed.

“ _Le petit prince_?” he gasped. She nodded.

“We want you to grow up knowing the same ideals you know as a child,” she explained. “Makoto _, ton coeur est beaux_ , and we knew that you would make a change in this world.”

“ _Coeur_?” Makoto said quietly.

“Heart,” Ms. Lise translated with a smile. “Your heart is beautiful, Makoto.”

* * *

 

Ms. Lise’s heart, Makoto had thought, was the most beautiful of them all. When it stopped beating, he knew it was because she wanted to see Mr. Hervé again.

He attended Ms. Lise’s funeral, and he immediately regretted it.

“We put to rest a strong, upstanding individual. She was someone who was kind and loving, and could enchant the hearts of millions with her stories and her smile.”

His father’s eulogy was the most beautiful. The others paled in comparison. Mrs. Tamura, moved by its beauty, decided to go say her own. Since she was an older Omega, social customs allowed her to speak in public places. Unfortunately, she began like this:

“When I met Lise, she was the strangest Alpha I knew. She…”

Makoto’s eyes widened.

Ms. Lise had been an Alpha, a loving, patient Alpha. And her husband was another Alpha. Makoto had not known that it was possible.

_Your Nature…_

Makoto clenched his fists.

_Your Nature isn’t…_

“I, as an Omega, was severely humbled by her presence. While I didn’t speak to her again, I…”

_Your Nature isn’t WHO YOU ARE._

“Stop!” Makoto shouted. His parents looked down at him with surprise as he suddenly burrowed through the onlookers. “Stop!”

Mrs. Tamura was also surprised when the little boy stood up next to her.

“Ms. Lise wasn’t an Alpha,” he said firmly.

“But, my dear, she was?” Mrs. Tamura asked without conviction. Makoto felt his frown deepen. She was an Omega, and she certainly acted like the stereotype. Her words were frail and unsure.

“No,” he said defiantly. “Ms. Lise was Ms. Lise.” A sudden thrill went over him, and he could feel Ms. Lise watching him from wherever she was.

He turned to the procession. “Ms. Lise was brave. She was loving and also strong. She was my best friend in the whole wide world because she didn’t care about _what_ I was. She cared about _who_ I was!”

Makoto closed his eyes and sucked in a deep breath. “I’m going to go to the doctor’s tomorrow,” he affirmed. “And I’m going to figure out what I am. But that doesn’t matter to me. It’s only another thing to know about myself. Ms. Lise would’ve never wanted to be just an ‘Alpha.’”

Mrs. Tamura looked guilty. The procession stared at the boy in awe.

“Ms. Lise was…Ms. Lise was…”

How could Makoto put it into words? How could he describe his closest friend?

“Ms. Lise was indescribable.”

It was his mother who answered. His mother who was still a young Omega.

Her face was defiant. “She was my son’s closest friend. She was a spectacular storyteller, a daring adventurer, and most of all, a loving, kind-hearted soul.”

The procession was quiet as she stood to stand next to her son. They looked at his father in shock, but he frowned and also walked by them.

“My sincerest apologies to Mrs. Tamura,” he began. Makoto’s heart sank for a moment. “But my wife and son are right.” Makoto looked at his father in surprise, and the Alpha placed a caring hand on his shoulder. “Ms. Lise was irreplaceable, and she will always be in our hearts. She was an Alpha some moments, a Beta in others, and an Omega at times. But she was always Ms. Lise.”

Makoto closed his eyes and felt the wind push softly at his back. “ _Je serai toujours ici_ ,” he whispered to himself. “ _Vous serez toujours ici_ ,” he said aloud.

At his words, the procession bowed their heads in respect. Makoto felt warm, as if he could hear Ms. Lise’s pleased laughter.

Tomorrow, he knew, he would have to be strong for her. Tomorrow, he would learn what he was.


	2. In the Grass

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Makoto meets Rin and Haruka, but things aren't as great as he'd wanted.

_Chapitre Une: In the Grass_

It was coincidence that Makoto was behind the two most popular boys in class.

Usually Betas stuck together, but Ms. Hanamura, their teacher, was a bit cross with the principal and decided that, unlike everyone else, she would be assigning them seats instead of letting them choose their own.

The classroom, predictably, was silent. Well, except for the two boys straight up front.

The two boys Makoto happened to be behind.

“I can’t believe I’m paired up with _you_ ,” the red-haired one muttered. “As if it isn’t enough that we both had to come to this school…”

“You came back from Australia on too short of notice,” the black-haired one said plainly. “The private school wouldn’t accept you. And my parents moved. So deal with it.”

The other one gave a snarl of frustration and Makoto smiled behind his hand. They were so funny! And it reminded Makoto of someone…

But no, he couldn’t go down that road again. The memory of her still brought up tears.

“Alright class!” Ms. Hanamura said brightly, obviously pleased with herself. “You all should introduce yourselves to your neighbors. My name is Ms. Hanamura, as you can already tell by the words on the chalkboard. Sixth year is a blast, I promise, and I’m here to get you through your first term!”

Makoto relaxed a bit. She seemed cheerful. During the morning assembly, the principal had welcomed them but had told them that there would be “no hand-holding” throughout the process. Makoto hadn’t been the only one afraid, but he felt like he was the only Beta showing it.

He often forgot that he was a Beta. It was strange, seeing as his parents were an Alpha and an Omega, but Makoto tried not to think about those kinds of things. As he grew through his 4th and 5th years, however, he saw how important it was for people to know.

And he saw how people began to ignore him after he told them. So Makoto resolved not to tell them unless they really, really persist.

“Hi my name is Matsuoka Rin nice to meet you,” the red haired kid said in one breath. Makoto snapped back to the present to see both of the boys looking at him oddly.

“H-hey,” he stammered. “I’m Tachibana Makoto. N-nice to meet you.”

“Tachibana, huh?” the other black-haired boy said. Makoto gave him a glance and was immediately caught by those blue, blue eyes. “That’s weird. My name is Nanase Haruka. M and N are right next to each other on the alphabet, but T is way farther. I wonder how Ms. Hanamura arranged this.”

“‘I wonder how Ms. Hanamura arranged this,’” Rin said mockingly. Haruka resumed his glare on the other boy, but they both stopped when Makoto couldn’t hold back his giggle.

“You sounded so dumb…” he choked, trying to contain his laughter. It had been too unexpected to see Rin wrinkle his face and bare his teeth like that while he was imitating Haruka. Unluckily for him, the other two boys merely raised their eyebrows and shrugged at him, both convinced that he was strange.

Makoto sighed. So much for making new friends.

* * *

The second time Makoto talked with the other boys was a little over a week later.

“Can we sit with you?” Haruka had said suddenly.

Makoto lurched forward in surprise and nearly toppled over his lunch. It looked like Haruka was already regretting his words.

“O-o-of course!” Makoto stammered, _again_. Honestly, if it weren’t for the fact that all the other tables were taken, Haruka would have probably avoided him like the plague.

At the same time, it looked like there were plenty of empty seats by the other students, even if they’d gotten to the table first. Why did Haruka choose him…?

“Oi, dolphin-breath!” Rin called from somewhere behind him. “Did you find a table?”

“Yes,” Haruka sighed, but for some reason, Makoto could catch a hint of tenderness in his word. He glanced between Haruka and Rin before deciding to focus on his lunch instead.

“Oh, it’s you,” Rin remarked. “Er…what was your name? Something with a Banana?”

“Tachibana,” Makoto corrected quietly. He didn’t look up.

“Uh, okay,” Rin said, confused at his behavior. There was no way Makoto was going to throw him a bone. Rin thought he was weird. Well, Makoto was content at looking at them and laughing at their antics, but he didn’t want to become _one_ of them.

“Look man,” Rin said suddenly. The tone of his voice was kind of different, and Makoto looked up.

Rin’s eyes were pleading.

“We’re new to this place, okay? We don’t quite get what this all means.” Rin threw his hand around the lunch area to show just what he didn’t know. “I mean, I just came back from Australia, and Haru just moved here. Do you mind helping us out?”

Makoto didn’t mean to be so surprised, but he was. Rin was openly asking for help, and from Makoto could tell from Haruka’s body language, Haruka was also wondering if Makoto would help them.

Well…Makoto wasn’t one to say no when someone needed him…

“Um…sure,” he said shyly. “Do you…want to be friends?”

 _Oh my god I’m so forward ahhh!_ He internally cried.

In a split second, Haruka’s mouth ticked up in an amused smirk. In another second, it was gone, but the mirth was still in his eyes.

It was as if he could read Makoto’s mind just then.

“Sure…?” Rin snorted. “Friends is what we were going for, I guess, right Haru?”

Haru. Makoto mulled over the name. He liked it, but he didn’t want to steal Rin’s nickname. He supposed he’d stick with Haruka.

“What do we do now?” Haruka asked as flatly as ever.

“Um…the field is over there and we’re allowed to go there after lunch,” Makoto said timidly. Some of the older kids had gone over to the field of their own free will, and the supervisors didn’t seem to care. “After we eat, we should go over there?”

“Sounds cool,” Rin answered with a smile. And that smile was what caused Makoto’s heart to pound and his face to turn scarlet.

“Th-th-thanks,” he barely made out. His lips formed back a shaky smile, and he was sure he looked like a googly-eyed monster from his little siblings’ stories.

Rin didn’t seem to notice the sudden change, but Haruka did. He looked at Makoto strangely for a moment before turning his attention to Rin.

“We should race once we get to the field.”

Rin gave a bigger, wider smile that had Makoto’s hands trembling. “That’s the best idea you’ve had all day.”

They kept teasing each other while Makoto sat and watched them with bugged out eyes. It was strange, really, how easily Rin and Haruka could blend in with anyone. Just as long as they had each other.

The strangest thing was, however, that they didn’t ask about Makoto’s Nature. Makoto didn’t even think they knew each other’s. And that was an encouraging thought.

“You don’t talk much, do you?” Rin said suddenly, bring Makoto’s focus back.

“I…uh,” Makoto stammered. Rin’s eyes were a burning red. Makoto’s face seemed like it wanted to match it.

“I mean, even Haru talks sometimes,” Rin shrugged. “Why do I always find the people who don’t wanna talk?”

“S-sorry?” Makoto offered.

Haruka rolled his eyes. “Come on, Rin, let’s go to the field.” Makoto noticed that Haruka hadn’t looked at him.

Rin’s eyes glinted. “Yeah! Time for me to make you cry!”

Makoto watched them go, still with some rice left in his bento. He debated on following them, but with a sigh decided to finish his lunch.

That was, until Rin sauntered back and promptly ate the rest of Makoto’s rice in one gulp.

With his hands.

“That’s some good seasoning,” he sighed contentedly. “Gotta need that energy for the race! Come on, Makoto!”

And Makoto’s heart, for the first time since Ms. Lise passed, soared above the clouds.

* * *

“Do the count!” Rin commanded.

 _Anything for you_ , Makoto thought, immediately becoming embarrassed. _What’s gotten into me?_

“Makoto! The countdown?” Rin asked again, irritated.

“R-Right!” Makoto chirped nervously. “Three…two…one…GO!”

It was amazing, the way they took off like rockets. Makoto’s jaw gaped as they shot straight across the field, keeping an even pace with each other and focusing entirely on the race.

He began to run, too, so that he wouldn’t be left behind.

“No, stay there,” a voice came behind him.

Makoto turned, and he saw Ms. Hanamura smiling sweetly at him. “Believe me, you’ll never catch up to them like this. They were the fastest boys in their P.E. team.”

Makoto nodded and stayed put, but Ms. Hanamura could tell he was forlorn.

“Hey there,” she said, kneeling down to his level. Her voice morphed into the comforting, earthy tone of a Beta. “Don’t worry. They’ll come back.”

“But their race…”

“Ends where they began,” she finished for him. “They’ll touch the fence and come straight back to you. So stay where you are and cheer them on.”

She was saying this because he was a Beta. A sudden chill fell through Makoto’s body and he shrugged out of her grasp.

“No!” he said adamantly. “I’m…I’m going after them!”

Despite her words, he ran to the pair. By the time he reached them, they were running back. Haruka was taking the lead, but barely. Rin’s eyes were glinting with determination.

Makoto took his place in the middle of them.

“You guys can do it!” he cheered. “Go to where Ms. Hanamura is standing! She’s the finish line!”

He kept running alongside them, and he felt himself get out of breath. “You can do it!” he cried. “You’re almost there!”

The older kids watched as the three of them ran. All of a sudden, Rin and Haruka began to sprint.

“Go, go!” Makoto cheered, running around to see Ms. Hanamura’s side. At that angle, he would be able to see just who made it past her first. “You can do it!”

Rin and Haruka were head-to-head, as it seemed. Makoto fought the urge to blink, because they were so close. Ms. Hanamura flinched as they sprinted past her.

“GOOOOOAL!” Makoto screeched, and the other kids began to cheer as well. He looked around with surprise as all of the older kids congratulated both Haruka and Rin, slapping their backs and giving them high fives. Rin reveled in the attention. Haruka shrugged them off.

But Makoto grinned and ran up to them once he caught his breath.

“Great job you guys!” he exclaimed.

“Who won?” Rin asked, still breathing heavily. Haruka looked at Makoto intensely. They both wanted to hear the answer, and Makoto opened his mouth to tell them…

“Congratulations, Haruka,” Ms. Hanamura said kindly. “It was you!”

Haruka straightened and gave a small smile while Rin slumped to the ground.

“Ugh! I can never win!” he said, frustrated. “Next time, then!”

“But…” Makoto said quietly. He stared at Rin’s form on the ground, then at the other kids who looked just about as confused as he did. “But _Rin_ won…”

Ms. Hanamura heard him and she shook her head, smiling pleasantly. “I’m afraid I saw Haruka go past me first,” she said sweetly. Makoto glared. He already didn’t like this teacher.

“No,” he said firmly. “Rin won!” A couple of the other kids murmured in agreement. “We all saw it!”

Ms. Hanamura looked confused.

“Let it go, Makoto,” Rin sighed. “I just have to be faster next time.”

“But you won!” Makoto cried. He turned to the nearest kid and tugged on his shirt. “You saw it! Rin won, didn’t he?”

The other kid looked at him blankly, but then stared up at Ms. Hanamura.

“…I did see it,” he said finally. Rin and Haruka both turned to him in surprise. “The red-haired kid completely flew past the black-haired one at the last second. He won.”

“But listen,” Ms. Hanamura pleaded.

“I saw it too,” another kid stepped forward and stood behind the first boy. “He won. Like, by an elbow,” she added.

“But he…he’s an Omega!” Ms. Hanamura laughed. Makoto’s blood began to boil. “He can’t win against an Alpha!”

Rin’s eyes grew wide and Makoto could tell he was in shock. Rage built up within him and he suddenly snarled.

“You’re so…!” he shouted. Ms. Hanamura and the others turned to him. “That’s the _stupidest_ thing I’ve ever heard!”

“Makoto…” Rin said in surprise. Haruka was looking at him like he was about to stop him, but Makoto was too far gone. Ms. Lise…

“He _clearly_ won! _Everyone_ can see that! You flinched and closed your eyes, so you obviously don’t know!” Makoto screamed. “You’re just making things up because of their Nature! Well, it’s _not fair_!”

“Please don’t use that tone of voice with me,” Ms. Hanamura said firmly.

“Rin won!” Makoto shot back. “You’re just _in denial!"_

“Makoto, stop,” Rin said, placing a hand on his shoulder. Makoto’s eyes were poison. He shrugged off Rin’s hand and stood in front of Ms. Hanamura, challenging her.

“Are you going to say that he won, or are you just going to keep saying that Haruka won?” Makoto growled. “Because if you do, then you’re an _idiot_.”

“Detention,” Ms. Hanamura said calmly. “For you and Rin.”

“What?” Rin squawked. “But I didn’t do anything!”

The older kids looked at each other uncomfortably.

“Ms. Hanamura…” one of them said.

“Everyone, go back to whatever you were doing. I’m taking these two with me,” she said curtly. She grabbed Makoto’s arm and he didn’t resist, but when she moved to grab Rin’s arm, Haruka stood in front of her and glared at her.

“If you’re taking him, then I’m coming too,” he said angrily.

“Stop, Haru,” Rin sighed. “Don’t you go and get yourself in trouble, too.”

“You don’t deserve it!” Haruka snapped.

“Makoto doesn’t either,” Rin snapped back. “But what are we gonna do? Go against a teacher?” Rin sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. “Don’t worry. It’s not like I’m gonna get hurt.”

Haruka was clearly angry, but he didn’t say anything. Makoto felt the uncomfortable, tense silence between them before Ms. Hanamura led him and Rin away.

* * *

They met with the principal, who agreed that Makoto had earned the detention. With a wave of his hand he dismissively accepted Rin’s detention as well, causing Rin to snap at him.

“Don’t get carried away, boy,” the principal said sternly. “You’re already in trouble, and this is only your first month here. I’m somewhat ashamed.”

Out of the corner of his eye, Makoto could tell Rin was starting to droop. He frowned.

“Rin didn’t do anything wrong, Mr. Takegawa,” he said stubbornly. “It was me. I was being mean to Ms. Hanamura and Rin got the bad end of it.”

The principal looked at him curiously, giving him the same annoying look Ms. Hanamura had given him when he’d chased after Haruka and Rin. “Oh, is that so?” he mused. “Makoto, aren’t you a Beta?”

Rin looked confused, but Makoto’s blood was boiling again.

“Yes sir,” he said angrily. “I don’t see why that matters.”

“You’re supposed to be _quiet_ ,” the man said flatly. Rin’s eyebrows flew to his hairline and he suddenly gripped Makoto’s forearm.

“Yes sir,” he said loudly, giving Makoto a warning glance. Makoto struggled for a bit, but one look at Rin’s determined expression caused him to deflate. “His…uh…Beta hormones haven’t kicked in, so he’s still pretty much undetermined.”

“I see…” the principal said, eying him. “Well, I can see that you’re an upstanding young Omega. Let’s make sure that this doesn’t happen again, understand?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Good. Detention is an hour in classroom H12,” he said, leaning back. “I hope you boys learn your lesson.”

Rin nodded and Makoto, after a bit of hesitation, nodded as well. He was slowly coming down from his high, and it felt terrible.

Once they made it to classroom H12 at the end of the day, Rin turned onto him and gave him an unreadable expression.

“You know, you’re pretty weird,” he said.

Makoto ducked his head. “I-I didn’t mean for you to get stuck in here with me!” he blurted, face flushing. “I…just kind of take it personally when someone…”

“No,” Rin said suddenly. “No, you were right. If Haru lost, then Haru lost. It really makes me wonder how many other times he’s lost in the past years…” Rin looked away from him, conflicted. Makoto walked with him quietly into detention, which was mostly full of older kids. A couple of them recognized them from the field and waved them over.

“Don’t move,” a gentle voice said. “This is detention. You are supposed to be still.”

The two boys looked up and saw an open face with short brown hair and glimmering brown eyes. Rin and Makoto looked at each other in surprise. They’d expected the detention teacher to be more…intimidating.

“My name is Ms. Amakata. You two are new, aren’t you?” she said in her breezy voice. “Please take a seat and be silent for detention.”

Rin and Makoto cautiously took a seat at the very back of the room. They stared at Ms. Amakata cautiously as she picked up her book and began reading. The cover read “Sophie’s World,” and the book was rather thick.

A note slipped by Rin’s feet. He opened and read it, then dropped it on the floor and slid it to Makoto.

_Ms. A doesn’t notice notes. She only notices if you talk._

Makoto looked up and shot a grateful look at the Beta girl who’d sent Rin the note. She nodded at him before facing forward and reading her own book.

It seemed like Makoto should start bringing a book to school if he kept letting his temper get the best of him.

He didn’t get any notes from Rin and he felt like Rin was probably better off not being his friend. Makoto felt terrible. He really hadn’t meant for Rin to be caught up in his error, and yet here they both were, suffering detention for Makoto’s mistake.

The clock ticked and he turned to see that Rin was staring at Ms. Amakata. Strangely, Makoto felt like he was content just watching Rin, but if that wasn’t a dangerous thought, he didn’t know what was.

Just faintly, he could hear someone’s music from nearby. It was really faint, so Ms. Amakata wouldn’t hear it, but he turned and there was another kid tapping away at his hand with a pencil.

_Rat-ta-tat tat on your dum-dum-drum…_

And now Makoto had a song stuck in his head that he didn’t even know.

He faced forward again and with a jolt realized that there were Betas spread out on every corner of the room. The Alphas were at the back, the Omegas in the front, and the Betas interspersed throughout.

Makoto thought about his classroom. It wasn’t really assigned the same way, after all, Haruka and Rin were next to each other. Why did they need Betas all over? He knew that they were the most populous of the three genders, but what did that really mean? That they should spread out and…not be united?

He didn’t mean to think that hard about it, but it happened to be his most sensitive subject.

The song played on repeat and the boy resumed his tapping.

_I don’t need you or your brand new Benz, or your bourgeois friends…_

It didn’t help that it was in English and Makoto could barely tell what the words were. _Bourgeois_ sounded familiar to him, at least, though terribly mispronounced.

Detention was over by the time Makoto decided that he was completely done with being social. He immediately stood when Ms. Amakata closed her book and made a beeline for the door.

He even ignored the irritation that creeped onto him when he realized how easy it was for him to slip out.

* * *

“Makoto, can you get the broom?” his mother called.

“Honey, don’t sweep the floor,” his father replied before he could. “You should relax.”

Makoto had just come downstairs after dropping off his backpack in his room. His parents were in the living room, and his father was having trouble figuring out exactly how to do the chores while his mother struggled to remain in her chair.

“Honestly dear!” she said exasperatedly. She tried to get up, but her large belly stopped her. “You’re missing all the spots!”

Makoto’s father pursed his lips and scrubbed harder, still missing the corners. Makoto could tell that his mother was about to lose it and quickly tugged his father’s shirt. “Dad, I can do it,” he said. “Do you mind sweeping? I’m not good at that.”

He kept his tone light and pleasant. His mother’s pregnancy had been hard on everyone, especially since they figured out she would be having twins. His father was the breadwinner of the family, but with the recent turmoil in his company the family was on a shoestring budget.

The change had been sudden. Suddenly, Makoto couldn’t afford to break the rules because both of his parents were trying their hardest. He had to help them because they were barely making it themselves. Some days, his father pulled extra night shifts in order to better the company. Other days his mother was doing the taxes and managing the bills while also falling sick.

He dug the edge of his fingernail into the gap between the glass and the wood of the bookshelf. It had been hard at first. His father had yelled at him to stop throwing a tantrum, and his mouth had zipped itself shut. His mother had cried when he demanded a toy, and he had kept his desires to himself.

Makoto sighed once the bookshelf was well-dusted. It wasn’t healthy, he decided, because his frustrations manifested in other ways.

And there he went, thinking about what happened with Rin and Haruka.

“Makoto,” his mother sighed. “Could you make me some lemon tea?”

“Sure,” he said tiredly. But he mustered up a smile, because his mother was unbelievably strong.

She had fallen sick many times, but he would still see her giving him a smile every time she saw him. He still remembered the cookies she’d baked when she’d seen him worried about his new school.

“Makoto needs a playmate,” was one of the first things she’d said when she’d seen how down Makoto was after Ms. Lise.

And currently, his “playmates” were growing inside her belly. Makoto shuddered. He couldn’t imagine what kind of alien feeling it would be to have something growing inside of you like that.

The lemon tea was fun to make. Makoto couldn’t cook at all, so simple, little recipes made him happy, and his mother knew that.

“Thank you, little bunny,” she chuckled, holding her mug appreciatively. “Ju-u-ust right.”

Makoto smiled proudly. Maybe he had to be less rambunctious, but the little rewards made up for it. His mother’s smile, his father’s grateful pat on his back. They sat in the living room, Makoto on his father’s lap and his hand on his mother’s belly. With a soft snore and the drone of the news on TV, Makoto’s thoughts of Rin and Haruka fell away.

* * *

And then tomorrow came.

“Where’d you go yesterday?” Rin complained straightaway.

“Huh?”

“I tried to follow you out and I couldn’t find you,” Rin said curiously. “Where did you go?”

“Home?” Makoto asked. Haruka was watching him with an angry expression, as if Makoto had personally insulted him. Was he upset about losing?

Makoto supposed he’d been rather harsh about it yesterday.

“Don’t worry about it, Rin,” Haruka said. “He doesn’t want to be friends with us.”

They both looked at Makoto, but Makoto couldn’t muster up a word.

He looked at his desk as if it was the most interesting thing in the world. How stupid. He just wanted to get this over with so that they could go on with their lives and never speak to each other again.

“That’s ridiculous.”

Rin stamped his hand flat on Makoto’s desk and forced Makoto to look up.

“Look kid, we don’t want to bully you,” he began. “But you said you’d be our friend, and if you go back on that just because you’re scared of a little detention, then you’re just a lousy person.”

Makoto’s heart flung itself to his throat. Rin’s eyes were burrowing deep into his, filled with interest. Rin wasn’t going to leave him alone.

An Omega that was a fighter. Makoto felt his mouth twitch in a grin.

All at once, Rin gave him a broad smile. “Okay, so the deal is still on!” he declared. “We’re going out to the field again. I’ll grab a stick and we’ll see who won. This time, Makoto, try to keep up with us!”

“Impossible,” Haruka scoffed.

“I-I’ll do my best!” Makoto stuttered.

“C’mon, say it like a man!” Rin grunted, puffing out his chest and pursing his lips dramatically. “That’s how my dad does it!”

Makoto snickered into his hand and even Haruka cracked a smile at Rin’s antics. They followed him out onto the field, and for once Makoto found that his heart wasn’t a-flutter with Rin.

Rin’s smile, his laugh, his excited voice, they were all something that Makoto valued in someone from long ago.

_Un ami._

The words came unbidden to his mind, and Makoto smiled at them, tasting them in his mind.

_Le meilleur ami._

* * *

A month passed. Sometimes Ms. Hanamura would come out and tell them that Haruka won, again, but most of the time the older kids would keep track and let them know the true winner. Rin won a lot of the times, but Haruka kept up at a steady pace. Makoto was always last, but he didn’t mind in the least. Running was fun, and all the exercise took out his stress and frustration.

He and Rin grew closer than before. Rin confided to him that his father used to be a famous swimmer, but had stopped because he didn’t like the fame. It was a secret that Makoto swore to keep (but he told his mother anyway because he was intimidated by the secret. He didn’t tell anyone else, though).

In turn, Makoto told Rin and Haruka that he had Natured parents. Haruka had given him a nod, as if that explained his outburst early in the year, but Rin was incredibly intrigued.

“I thought only Betas could give birth to Betas!” he’d gasped.

Makoto shrugged. “It’s rare, but it happens,” he replied, grinning at his friend’s interest.

“So you’re like a secret superhero!” Rin whispered.

“Um, not really…”

They chattered on the way back to class. Rin had an obsession with superheroes lately, and while Makoto found that interesting he couldn’t help but feel bad for the good guys.

“So just because he comes from another planet and has superpowers, he has to save everyone?” he scoffed. “I’d just live normally and not tell anyone.”

“Didn’t you see ‘The Incredibles?’” Rin exclaimed in disbelief. “There’s no way they can be normal!”

It wasn’t until they were about to enter the classroom when they realized that Haruka was nowhere to be seen.

“Huh, where’d he go?” Rin wondered. Makoto was about to ask “who?” and immediately felt bad.

“Um, maybe he’s already inside?” he suggested.

They entered and didn’t find him. Just when Rin was about to go back out, Haruka walked in with a stormy expression.

“There you are,” Rin said casually. “Where’d you go?”

“Yamakata said that you won,” Haruka replied curtly.

“Oh, right!” Rin said, grinning at Makoto. “We totally forgot about the score!”

“Who cares…” Haruka muttered, through Rin didn’t hear. Makoto felt the tension coming from Haruka like a vaporous poison.

“Sorry,” he said immediately.

“We’re both sorry for forgetting, Haru. Makoto, you gotta speed up and tell us who wins before the older kids do,” Rin determined. “That way we can ask you whenever we want, and Haru doesn’t have to stay behind!”

“I’m not as fast as you,” Makoto offered shyly.

“That’s right,” Haruka suddenly spoke, eyes glaring daggers at Makoto. “He goes at his own pace. That’s what Betas do, right?”

There was a brief pause after his sentence.

Makoto felt a stone cold weight drop to the pit of his stomach, and he looked at Haruka in shock.

“ _What?_ ” Rin snapped. “Where the _hell_ did that come from?”

Haruka didn’t even bat an eyelash at Rin’s cussing. “If you’re so mad,” he directed at Makoto. “Prove me wrong. Race us and win.”

And with that, he gave a small smirk and faced his head forward to the class.


	3. In the Water

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Friendships with Rin and Haruka are never that simple.

It didn’t quite register.

Makoto scrubbed the dishes harder and forced the dried tomato sauce off.

It made _no sense_.

He used a wipe to clean the dust off of that hard-to-reach corner.

_It was INFURIATING!_

He softly padded up the stairs, quietly closed his door, and then…

“AAAAGH!” he screamed into his pillow.

Haruka’s sharp, blue gaze showed up every time he closed his own eyes. How could he? Why would he?

The questions bounced around in Makoto’s mind. Haruka knew that he was sensitive to Natures! Why would he say something like that? How could he, knowing Makoto’s anger?

Makoto wanted to tell someone, but there was no one he could tell. His parents didn’t like it when he spoke about Natures, and kind Ms. Tamura was too old to worry about some childish nonsense, and…

And having friends was supposed to _fix_ this, not make it worse!

The look on Haruka’s face had been cruel, merciless. He knew very well that he was tearing Makoto to shreds, and the brat probably enjoyed it.

But why?

The first conclusion that popped into Makoto’s head was that he’d said Rin had won. But that had been true! Why would Haruka be upset by the truth?

He growled harshly. He still had homework to do, and it wouldn’t be okay if Haruka’s stupidity kept him from doing it.

All the same, when the sheet asked him to do some long division, he grabbed the pencil and threw it against the wall.

It wasn’t fair! Just because he was a Beta didn’t mean that Haruka could toss him aside like that! What made that okay?

Now his brain was going in circles.

It was the last thing that Haruka had said that really gnawed at him. “Race them and win,” was it? That was so typical of an Alpha to say, because what Haruka really meant was “Race _me_ and win.”

On a documentary that Makoto was definitely _not_ supposed to watch, a Nature expert said that Natures came to pass from a primitive ancestor that relied primarily on speed and force for a hunt, not strategy. In that respect, Alphas happened to be fast and furious, vying for first place. Omegas prized these traits in potential mates. Betas, apparently, kept to themselves and mediated Alpha and Omega interactions both within each class and between each class.

The narrator also stated that a common household in the old times consisted of an Alpha husband and Omega wives. He harped a long time about how monogamy was essential nowadays, due to the possessiveness of both classes, but back then Omegas couldn’t speak up against their husbands for fear of inciting abandonment from the clan.

Makoto smiled when he thought how far from the stereotype Rin was. Rin was the tide who pulled everyone along. Makoto couldn’t imagine him being subservient to anyone, Alpha or otherwise.

Then again, Rin wouldn’t have been classified as an Omega until he hit his Heat, which would probably occur about 5 years from now. Makoto didn’t think about what a Heat meant. He’d received the Talk at the end of last year, and it was…embarrassing. He didn’t even want to begin thinking about that, especially with Rin and Haru involved.

He frowned. The role of the Beta was usually to do the chores and take care of the children alongside the Omega. But Haruka went out of his way to snap at him, which probably meant that he was a threat. Makoto knew he wasn’t like other Betas, but he didn’t think he was…unfriendly.

It was hopeless. He moved downstairs and sat on the dining room table. Since his mother had a penchant for music, they kept a beat up radio with a CD player on the kitchen counter. Makoto usually played the songs that his parents would listen to, since they had CDs. They told him repeatedly to be extremely careful, however, and so he was reluctant to purchase his own with his allowance.

The music helped him concentrate, and so he put his troubles aside and finished his math homework.

\---------

In the end, Makoto thought it had to have been a fluke. Maybe Haruka was upset because they left without him, even though they apologized.

“I’d be hurt, too,” Makoto muttered, feeling irritated at himself. Who forgot one of their friends when walking back to class? Of course Haruka would be mad! “I’ll have to apologize to him up front before things get worse.”

But as he got nearer and nearer to the classroom, his anger and rage came shooting back.

“Race me and win.”

The smug smile.

“That’s what Betas do, right?”

Makoto pinched his lips and shook his head. Haruka had been hurt. That’s why he said all those inexcusable, angry, _stupid_ things at Makoto, right?

Even though he knew that Makoto was sensitive to Nature stereotypes, right?

Even when Makoto had even stood up the _teacher_ about Nature stereotypes, right?

His fists shook. Maybe he wouldn’t bother apologizing to Haruka. Haruka, after all, should apologize to _him_.

One look at Haruka and Rin was enough for Makoto to know that Haruka wasn’t going to apologize.

“Hey, Makoto!” Rin said cheerfully. “Ms. Hanamura was saying that we could go on a class trip to the zoo! Apparently Iwatobi has a pretty crappy zoo, though.”

“It _is_ pretty crappy,” Makoto affirmed, carefully avoiding Haruka’s glare. “I think the only reason it’s in business is because there’s an elephant.”

“No way!” Rin gasped. “Like, for real? I’ve never seen an elephant in real life before!”

“You _could’ve_ ,” Haruka accused lightly. “If you’d gone to the zoo with me back home.” Rin pursed his lips in playful annoyance.

“It’s not my fault that I happened to get sick the day before we went to the zoo!” he protested.

“Uh, yes it was,” Haruka replied mirthfully. “You decided to keep swimming in the pool after dark because I beat you in a race. And before you say it’s my fault, it _wasn’t_.” Makoto chuckled at that before he could stop himself. Sure enough, Haruka shot him a sharp glare.

“Yeah, well, I beat you afterwards, right?” Rin replied, shrugging. “And I get to see a real life elephant to boot. Sounds like a fair deal.”

“We could ride the elephant back home,” Haruka said casually, but Makoto felt his ears prickle.

“Well if we ask, we can feed the elephant here,” he said, trying to keep his tone light. Haruka was really annoying him.

“We could do that too, of course,” Haruka said.

“Yeah? Well did your elephant have a calf?” Makoto retorted.

“A calf?” Rin asked.

“Like a baby elephant!” Makoto exclaimed. “Well, I mean, it was sold to another zoo, but there are pictures!”

“Because you can’t see pictures of a baby elephant anywhere,” Haruka said quietly. Makoto gave him a wary glance, but Rin was too excited to notice.

“How could they separate a Mama from her baby? That’s just wrong!” he protested.

“Oh, the elephant at our zoo is a boy. The calf is with its Mama at the other zoo,” Makoto explained.

“That makes sense –”

And the conversation continued. Makoto gave Haruka another glance, now smug, and enjoyed the way the quieter boy stewed in his seat.

At lunch, both Rin and Haruka stuffed their faces and Makoto chewed slowly, figuring that he could finish the rest while they ran on the field.

He was nervous. Haruka’s challenge wasn’t lost to him. If Haruka raced Makoto, then Makoto would lose, plain and simple. The only solution to the problem was to not race him, and therefore keep his humiliation to himself.

As much as Makoto hated Haruka, he couldn’t deny that the boy had a really nice smile. Makoto flushed at his own thoughts and dismissed them, thanking whoever was listening that humans couldn’t read each other’s minds.

As if to spite his thoughts, Haruka gave him a disgusted look when he followed the two of them into the field. Makoto gulped down his sticky rice and quashed the uneasiness growing in the pit of his stomach. If Haruka wanted to be an annoying loser, then Makoto wouldn’t cause a scene. He knew how to be quiet.

He was a Beta after all.

With a start, Makoto almost dropped his bento. When had he started thinking like that? Like _Haruka_ , of all people?

He watched the two boys race away from him, focused on beating each other. Leaving him behind. But that was the way it was supposed to be, right? He was supposed to be cheering them on, not slowing them down!

No. He was clearly being left behind.

Makoto huffed and stared at the two spots at the far end of the field. It was then that he made a promise to himself. He would beat Haruka in a race and prove that Betas weren’t just emotionless idiots.

The minute he saw them turn from the fence at the far side, Makoto began counting in his head. He focused on the digits in his head, counting up as if the microwave at his home had gone in reverse. The two spots came closer and he could discern Rin’s red hair from Haruka’s black hair.

3 minutes 35 seconds…

4 minutes 18 seconds…

5 minutes…

… 57 seconds!

The two boys ran past him and he didn’t see who was first. All that was on his mind was 5 minutes and 57 seconds. That was the time that he’d have to beat.

“Haa…haa…” Rin huffed. “Makoto…”

Makoto turned toward Rin. “I’m sorry, I blinked at the wrong time. I’ll go ask the older kids.” Haruka huffed at him and even Rin looked slightly disappointed. Makoto ignored them, though, because he had bigger plans in mind. He would prove to them! He could do it!

When they got to the classroom, Rin was still harping on it.

“I mean, you were _right there_!” he grumbled. Haruka didn’t say anything, but Makoto could still tell that he had a smug little smile in his head. “How could you have missed it? The older kids said that it was pretty obvious!”

Makoto pouted a little bit. Rin probably wouldn’t have been as mad if Haruka had been the one who won.

“Sorry,” he said eventually, though he added a little touch of bitterness. “I’ll definitely get it the next time.”

“Hmph,” Rin replied, and that was the end of that discussion.

When they got back to class, Rin and Haruka were chatting animatedly (or as animated as Haruka could get) about a show on TV. Evangelion or something. All Makoto knew was that his parents didn’t allow him to watch it because it was for “teenagers and grown-ups.”

“What’s it about?” he ventured, hoping he didn’t sound too out of the loop.

Haruka huffed at him and Rin gave him a nonplussed stare, obviously still miffed about his performance.

“It’s a robot show,” Haruka offered flatly. Turning to Rin, he continued. “But remember Kaworu? He’s so strange.”

“Yeaaaaah!” Rin said exaggeratedly. “I don’t really get how Shinji feels about him.”

It didn’t seem like Makoto would get through to them today. So he turned to his schoolwork and decided to ignore them.

It was surprisingly difficult. Rin and Haruka, even during class, were disruptive and kept passing notes to each other. Ms. Hanamura didn’t really do anything, which made it harder to concentrate.

“I wonder if Shinji and Asuka get married at the end,” Rin said. “I mean, even though Shinji choked her.”

 _Choked?_ Makoto gulped.

“I don’t know, he seemed interested in Rei.”

Makoto was completely and utterly lost, but he kept their comments in mind. It turned out that Haruka and Rin, despite their rivalry, had a strong friendship. They visited each other’s houses often to race or play in the pool. Makoto wondered if there really was a place for him in the middle of their friendship.

No, he couldn’t think like that! He and Haruka were at war!

After school Makoto debated over whether he would wait for Haruka and Rin, but decided that he should start practicing as soon as possible. They seemed into their own conversation anyway.

This presented an opportunity! He glanced at his bike, parked at the school gates, and slowly looked away. He could run, right now, all the way home. Couple more times of this and he could be a pro runner, just like Haruka and Rin!

As he started to run, he could immediately see a couple problems. Makoto wasn’t overweight, but he was a bit chubby. His breaths were thin and he could only run for a small stretch before he had to stop. There was a sharp pain on his left side and he wheezed, startled, before slowly walking the rest of the way home.

Though the pain went away, Makoto was wary. He jogged a bit, but found that the thumping of his backpack against his back was uncomfortable and felt like he was taking a beating.

And as he wiped his face with the back of his hand, he realized just how sweaty he’d become.

 _How do Rin and Haruka do this?_ He wondered, panting. He couldn’t have gone a quarter, even an eighth of how much they’d run! _Running is hard!_

Climbing the stairs was easy without his bike, but Makoto knew that he’d have to wake up early to run to school without it. He sighed. Hopefully, the next day wouldn’t be as difficult.

Makoto did his chores, did his homework, and went to bed. He took a light nap, but once his parents’ voices ceased, he quietly slipped out and into the TV room.

Never before had Makoto turned on the television against his parents’ whims. They had told him time and time again not to flip through channels he wasn’t familiar with. Makoto, however, had hated missing out on the conversation Rin and Haruka were having. The darkness of the house was eerie as ever, but Makoto hoped the TV’s brightness would make it less scary.

It didn’t.

He fell asleep on the couch, too afraid to climb back up to his bedroom, with the TV permanently set on a dumb baby show. His mother watched that show constantly during her pregnancy, just like she’d done with Makoto (as she always said).

Eventually, Makoto’s eyes began to droop and he fell asleep, still afraid that the evil man’s eyes would send bloody robots after him.

\--------------

“Makoto?”

He struggled and cried.

“Makoto! Wake up!”

“Oh my god what’s wrong?”

“It’s okay, honey, he’s just having a nightmare,” came his dad’s tired voice.

Makoto’s eyes flew open and he grabbed his dad so tightly it hurt his fingers.

“Whoa, whoa there son,” his dad said gently. Strong, safe arms wrapped around him as he sobbed into his dad’s chest.

“Makoto, were you watching a late night show without our permission?” his mom asked, angry with her worry.

“It’s okay, Natsumi,” his dad replied, stroking Makoto’s hair. “He’s alright. He’s our little champ, right?” Makoto whimpered and kept crying. He certainly didn’t feel like a champ. He felt like a disobedient kid who should be punished. He also felt like he just ran miles away from a terrifyingly huge robot.

“How ‘bout he comes and sleeps with us, huh?” his dad continued. His mother laid a hand on his back and kissed the back of his head.

“You worry me so much sometimes,” she sighed, rubbing his back. “Come on, let’s go to bed. You, mister, are going to be right in the middle of us, okay?”

“M’kay,” Makoto sniffed. “Mom, I forgot my bike.”

“You what?” his mother said incredulously. “It’s okay, sweetie, your dad will drop you off.”

“I’ll what?” his father mimicked, and the three of them laughed tiredly.

Makoto decided that he didn’t care about the races, or the shows. If Haruka and Rin were mad at him for not doing either of those things, he didn’t care. Although he would never admit it (being a sixth year), being near his mom and dad, sleeping between them and hearing their breaths, reminded him that he didn’t need to be their friend if he had to jump all these hoops.

That night, he smelled a scent from long ago, and the familiarity of it brought tears to his eyes and a smile to his face. His hand snagged on his dad’s shirt and he fell asleep.

\----------

“I can’t believe they’re showing reruns,” Rin complained. “Shinji’s dad was all over the place.”

“Yeah,” Haruka sighed. “New episode comes out next week.”

Makoto decided not to tell them that Evangelion had come out before they were born and that they were watching reruns of the original series. He had his own love affair with the 90s Pokémon episodes. Charizard was his absolute favorite!

“Alright class, time to turn in your homework,” Ms. Hanamura announced. Makoto broke into a cold sweat. Homework? What?

Everyone else was turning in papers up front. Except Haruka and Rin.

“Shit,” Rin whispered.

\----------

Detention was never fun.

Makoto had done his homework quickly (he’d only had a little bit to go, really. Just…a page. Or three) and for the rest of the hour he sat still, bored as ever.

The same kid with the same headphones was playing the same music. This time, it was at a point where the girl was talking really fast. Luckily for Makoto, he could pick out a few of the words and piece together what he remembered from English. It also helped that the kid kept _repeating the dang song!_

_And I don’t wanna go places where my ladies can’t get in_

_Just grab a bottle…poison…and something about a basement…_

Okay so Makoto didn’t know all of the words but he would probably memorize the song by the time the year was through.

He turned forward. Ms. Amakata was reading dreamily. He squinted and saw a picture of a man holding a woman lovingly in his arms. The cover said something about “Wind.” It sounded pretty romantic.

A note hit him on the side of the head. He glanced at Rin, who gave him an imploring glance and pointed to his homework. Makoto opened the note.

_Dude, you need to let me copy._

Of course. Makoto pinched his eyebrows at Rin and glared. Rin gave him a flat stare and Makoto couldn’t help but wither.

_Fine. But how am I going to pass three sheets of paper to you?_

_After school._

_Ok. Does Haruka need to copy too?_

_Nah, he’s too stubborn. And quit calling him Haruka. He doesn’t like that._

Well. There was no way he was going to call him “Haru” or “Haru-kun.” Nanase-kun would have to suffice. Come to think of it, he should start calling Rin “Matsuoka-kun” since they really weren’t all that close. How did he start just calling them by their first names?

He got another note, this time by his shoe, by the earphones boy next to him. To his utter astonishment, it was written in English.

_Sleazy by Ke$ha_

Well, mostly in English. He couldn’t understand why there was a line on the “S” though.

“It’s a song, dude.”

“Hey!” Ms. Amakata called. “Quiet back there!”

“Yes ma’am,” the boy said in perfect English. He then turned to Makoto and tapped on his desk. Makoto looked and saw the letters he’d been writing, trying to figure out the lyrics to the song. His English was really terrible to begin with.

Another note. _You’re funny. Wanna hang out? My name’s Rory._

Makoto tried to sound it out in his head and failed. He replied in kanji.

_Okay. How about tomorrow after school? My name is Tachibana Makoto._

_Sounds good. This is my last week here before I go back to Australia. I’m moving with my grandparents._

Makoto’s eyes widened with interest just as a note hit him on the head from Rin’s side. He sighed and opened it.

_Who’s that guy?_

He looked up at Rin, whose eyes were shining with interest. Next to him, Haruka was glaring at Makoto. Again.

Makoto felt his mouth tug into a frown. He wrote a note, but instead of writing it back to Rin, he gave it to Rory. In his best English. Which was terrible.

_My friend want know you._

Rory raised an eyebrow.

_Nah. Not interested. He’s kind of a loudmouth._

Makoto suddenly snickered in his hand. Despite his bad English, he knew an insult when he saw one.

Immediately, he felt bad. Rin was still his friend, even though they were going through a rough patch. Makoto still remembered the way Rin stood up for him when Haruka had made that Beta comment. Yeah, Rin was a hothead, but Makoto had no reason to be mad at him.

_He is loud. But nice. Means well._

_I’m leaving soon, so I don’t have time to meet him. You’re pretty interesting though. I see you doodle sometimes._

Makoto blushed slightly, but smiled. He was flattered.

_Where you want to meet?_

Rory smiled at him, and despite his slouch he looked very open and friendly.

_I swim a lot at the SC. Do you know where it is?_

_Yes._ He passed by it on the way home all the time.

_Then let’s meet there after school. You can bring your friends if you want. I have some friends there too._

Makoto gave him a stare, confused. He’d thought that they’d be the only ones hanging out.

As an answer, Rory flicked his eyes over to Rin and Haruka. Both of them were looking at Makoto with unabashed curiosity. Rin was frustrated and Haruka was suspicious. Makoto sighed.

_Okay, I will bring them._

\------------

“He could be some perv,” Rin griped during lunch the next day. “We’re coming to protect you. Right Haru?”

“He said the SC?” Haruka said to Makoto, his eyes sparkling with interest.

“Yeah,” Makoto said slowly. Haruka’s new attitude was strange. One minute he would ask Makoto if he was sure Rory was into swimming, the next he was aloof and as possessive of Rin as ever.

“Rin, we can race together,” Haruka said for the fiftieth time. Usually Makoto would roll his eyes at him at this point. But Rin was also very excited.

“Yeah! Not just on the field!” he whooped. “Let’s just hope they can get us a membership for the summer!” Rin stretched his legs and arms, then readied his stance. “Let’s go, Haru!”

“Makoto, keep track this time,” Haruka said patronizingly.

“No.”

“What?”

Both boys turned simultaneously.

“I’m not really into the whole racing thing,” Makoto sighed. “I think I’d like running, but not waiting here and keeping track of who’s first.” He glanced over at some Betas in his class talking listlessly, as usual.

“So you’re ditching us?” Rin said suddenly. Makoto turned to him. His eyes were fierce and accusing. Those same eyes had the ability to make him feel like someone important.

But if it was at the cost of being unhappy, of being left behind again, Makoto didn’t want it.

“Yeah, I guess,” Makoto replied. And his voice became firmer. “I don’t like just standing here and waiting for you to come back. It’s boring. And I’d rather do something else.”

“Why don’t you race us and see if you can keep up?” Haruka sneered. “If you can’t, you can’t. There’s nothing _you_ can do about it.”

“What are you talking about?” Makoto challenged. Haruka turned to him, eyes flashing.

“It’s like I said before,” he said coldly. Makoto knew what was coming next, but he waited for Haruka to respond. “You’re just some Beta. You can’t really feel anything. You just follow along whatever we say –”

“Shut your mouth!” Makoto yelled. Haruka fell silent, but his smug aura kept annoying Makoto.

“Okay, both of you stop!” Rin demanded.

“Just because I’m a Beta doesn’t mean I can’t race! I don’t want to just sit here and do nothing!” Makoto snapped. “That’s stupid! Everything you say is stupid!”

“Makoto!” Rin yelled.

“Is ‘stupid’ the only word you know?” Haruka replied.

“Hey! Okay, stop you idiots!” Rin shouted. Makoto stared at him, shocked. “You don’t just insult people you disagree with! If you don’t want to race, then fine! And Haruka, what is up with you? You know Makoto isn’t cool with this whole ‘you’re a Beta’ crap! Why don’t you get over yourself?” Rin threw his hands into the air and walked away from both of them. “I’m sick of this!”

Haruka stared after him, speechless. A couple of the older kids stopped playing football and stared at Rin’s departing back.

Suddenly, Makoto felt something click in his brain in a weird way. His heart suddenly relaxed and his anger disappeared. His tense frame relaxed and he stared at his friends.

It was a strange feeling. He couldn’t remember why he’d felt mad in the first place. He was relaxed, but regretful. He knew what he did was wrong. One minute, Makoto was about to cry out of frustration and the next…

The next minute he was guilty and he bowed his head.

“Rin’s right,” he said slowly. Haruka was silent as he raised his head. “He’s completely right. I let myself get carried away. I got mad too easily. I’m sorry Haruka.” The weirdest part was that he _knew_ that he should be raving mad. Haruka had hit a pressure spot that ignited him, but all Makoto really wanted was to get away.

“I’m going to be friends with Mari-chan and the others over there.” With a half-hearted point in the general direction of the Betas, Makoto gave another nod and walked over.

“Whatever,” Haruka said darkly. He turned and ran to Rin.

Makoto suddenly felt the tingling go away. His anger was coming back, but it was dulled down. Now all that was left was hurt. He kept walking.

“Hey,” Mari-chan said. “You got really mad.”

“I did. I couldn’t stop it,” Makoto said flatly. “Do you mind if I hang out with you guys?”

Mari-chan shrugged and the others made a little room for him. Makoto sat down and pretended not to notice Rin and Haruka for the rest of lunch.

The classroom was awkward too. Or, at least it would have been if Makoto was sitting behind his two ex-friends.

Sitting within a group of Betas was…weird. It felt like there was this fuzzy cloud over his head, barring him from the emotions that would usually consume him. Oddly enough, it was pleasant. He made small talk with the other Betas during break and realized that, despite their seclusion from everyone else, they were amicable people. It helped that their teacher for the period didn't notice the seating difference, as the Betas were just one large mass in the center.

“Do you use baking soda?” Kenta-kun asked. “I heard it was the best way to clean grout.”

“No, I haven’t,” Makoto said curiously. “I bet my mom would love it if I could get the grout all cleaned up.”

“Vinegar works miracles, too.”

“My parents are pretty traditionalist,” a girl said from the back of the group. “They said that I’d probably have an easier time being in a Natured household.”

“You mean like Alpha-Beta-Omega?” another girl asked softly. Her tone had a hint of bitterness to it. “They honestly can’t take care of themselves, can they?”

“Don’t be mean, Suzuki-chan,” Mari-chan said softly. “If they need a Beta in their household, then that is fine.”

 _That_ was mean? Makoto had felt exactly the same way Suzuki-chan had. In the documentary he’d watched, the Alphas were depicted as some hotheaded bozos who couldn’t deal with their anger, and so the Betas became their punching bag. In addition, whenever the Omegas weren’t satisfied with their living situation, it was up to the Beta to make them feel happy.

Makoto sighed. It seemed like such an ordeal. But that was not what his relationship with Haru and Rin had seemed like.

It was worse, in a way. He was an intruder. They already had a relationship with each other, and all he was good for was getting in the middle of it. Why had Rin wanted him to be friends with them?

“Makoto-chan, what do you think?” the traditionalist girl asked. “About Alpha-Beta-Omega households?”

Makoto pinched his lips for a moment. “I suppose as long as you keep your place and don’t interfere in the relationship, you should be fine,” he answered. “I couldn’t do it.”

The unsaid words were heavy in the air. He’d messed up with Rin and Haruka, had interfered with their relationship, and they had cast him out.

“Maybe some relationships don’t allow a third person,” Mari-chan soothed. “Maybe some do.”

Makoto shrugged and stared listlessly at his desk.

\----------

After class, he walked outside and towards his bike.

“We’re going to the swim club,” Rin said stonily from behind him. Makoto stiffened at his voice, then nodded wordlessly. “So you’re going to do the whole not-talking thing? Cool.”

“What do you want me to say?” Makoto said bitterly. “That we’re still friends? Fat chance.”

“Why not?” Rin blurted. “Friends get into fights all the time. Then they let it go and move on.”

Makoto turned to him, conflict written all over his face. “I don’t want to be friends with Haruka if he keeps calling me a useless Beta. I don’t want to be friends with you either, because you and Haruka are always together.”

Except, as he looked on, he could see that Haruka wasn’t with Rin. He looked this way and that, but there was only Rin.

“He’s coming later,” Rin said angrily. “I told him that I needed to talk to you.”

“Why?” Makoto said quietly. His face began to heat up whenever it did when Rin stared at him too hard.

“Because I wanted to tell you that I still want to be your friend,” Rin sighed. “I get that you’re angry, but you didn’t need to sit with the others.”

“They’re my friends too,” Makoto challenged. Rin’s lips twisted into a frown.

“Yeah, sure. Just go and look for other friends at the drop of a hat,” he griped. “First the kid in detention, now the mimes in the back of class.”

“Maybe I want to be like that kid, or like those mimes,” Makoto snapped. Rin’s eyes flashed.

“Do you? Do you really?” he replied. “But it doesn’t matter. We can still be your friends.”

“Why do you want to be friends with me so badly?” Makoto huffed. His heart was pounding. Rin was so insistent, and it frightened him. There was nothing he could offer Rin, after all, except trouble and conflict. Why was Rin so bent on chasing after him?

“Why do you need to know?” Rin snapped. “Maybe if you stopped running away, you could be one of our best friends!” He folded his arms and Makoto glimpsed Haruka’s discontented face exiting the building. “He’s coming, isn’t he?”

Makoto nodded.

“Haru isn’t good at making friends. But I think that the friendships he makes are the ones that last the longest. I had a ton of friends in elementary school, but there was so much drama and the only one who stuck with me was Haru. I just want a friend who isn’t Haru to stick with me, is that too much to ask?” Rin sighed. Makoto felt his shoulders droop. He could see where Rin was coming from, but…

“Why me?” he had to ask.

“I didn’t choose you,” Rin began. “Haru did. He thought you were nice. I don’t know what’s gotten into him, but I like you too.” Makoto flushed. “N-not like that! But you’re a cool guy! That’s all I’m saying!” Rin flushed too, and Makoto smiled.

“Well…I mean, I guess we can stay friends,” Makoto said shyly. Haruka was approaching faster now. “I didn’t exactly go easy on Haruka either.”

“Hear that?” Rin said to Haruka behind him. “Makoto’s still friends with us!”

“Great,” Haruka said unenthusiastically, and he marched straight past them. Rin grinned.

“Give it time,” he said. He threw an arm around Makoto’s shoulder. “He’ll come around.”

“You sure?” Makoto asked.

Rin offered him a grin that had his heart thumping. “I’m positive.”

\----------

“Makoto!”

Makoto looked over to where Rory was, and immediately his jaw dropped.

Rory was an impressive figure, all muscles and lines. Something in Makoto told him that he wanted to touch. And bad.

_What was happening?_

“There’s your friend,” Rin sneered. “C’mon Haru! Let’s race!” Makoto glanced over at Haruka and stopped.

Haruka’s eyes were glistening at the water. Somehow, his clothes were already at the side of the pool and he had his swim jammers on underneath. _Was he wearing them the entire time?_

One glance showed that Haruka was a little out of shape for swimming, but his wiry body was still acclimated to the water. All of a sudden, Makoto didn’t want to go with Rory. Makoto wanted to watch Haruka and only Haruka in the water.

“Over here!”

He shook his head and snapped out of it.

“Sorry! Coming!” he called back, grateful that Rory was using Japanese. If he was bad at writing English, pronouncing it was near impossible.

“So you don’t know how to swim?” Rory asked as he approached. Makoto ducked his head and smiled.

“I…never learned.” _Because one of my greatest friends drowned in the water._

“It’s a piece of cake!” Rory exclaimed. “I’ll teach you the basics, and then you can watch me race with my friends.”

“Who is this?” a tall, slim boy asked Rory. “New recruit?”

“Nah, he’s just a friend from school,” Rory told him. Makoto looked at the other swimmer. His figure was more similar to Haruka’s, less muscular and more streamlined. But Makoto could still tell there was power in his limbs. “I’m going to teach him how to swim.”

“ _You’re_ going to teach him?” a younger boy scoffed. He looked younger than Makoto. “You’re leaving in a week!”

“Be nice, Ikuya,” the older kid chided. Rory only offered a grin before clapping Makoto on the shoulder.

“Anyway, this guy’s name is Makoto,” he said. “Makoto, this is Nao-” he indicated the tall, older boy, “-and this pipsqueak is Ikuya.”

“Nice to meet you, I’m Tachibana Makoto,” Makoto said politely, bowing.

“Well look what we have here,” Ikuya laughed. Nao shushed him before he could go any further.

“Nice to meet you too, Tachibana-kun. But over here, we’re all familiar with each other. You can just call me Nao, okay?” Nao said politely. Makoto smiled and nodded.

All of a sudden, there were a few gasps and mutters from the other side of the pool. The four of them looked over and saw that a small crowd was forming at the other side of the pool.

“What’s going on over there?” Rory wondered.

“Let’s check it out,” Nao suggested.

All of a sudden, cheers resounded and a rather enthusiastic blond man pointed at the left lane.

“This guy won!” he called out. “The Omega won!”

Makoto’s jaw dropped yet again.

Rin was pulled out of the water with a lot of ceremony, and he was enjoying it. Rory gave a low whistle.

“Wow, for a loudmouth he sure seems like he can walk the walk,” he muttered. “Wonder what their times were?”

“Times?” Makoto asked. He was very, very confused.

“Yeah,” Rory said, turning to him and grinning. “Really good swimmers often compete against each other for times. The shorter the time, the higher the swimmer’s skill. If these boys keep going at it, especially that loudmouth Omega, they’ll probably be scouted by major schools in the future.”

Makoto didn’t quite know what “scouted” meant, but he raised his eyebrows in awe anyway. Rin was eventually set down and he pulled out Haruka from the other lane. Makoto felt a touch of foreboding when they began to look around.

“D-do you want to teach me how to swim now?” he asked Rory.

“Huh? Oh, right!” Rory replied, slapping his forehead. “Definitely, dude! Let’s go into the shallow pool.”

* * *

It was a good half an hour before Haruka and Rin found Makoto, and in that time he’d learned how to float on his own.

“It’s not that hard,” Rory said, holding him up and letting go. “You just have to imagine yourself as a bag full of air. You know what they do on top of water.”

Makoto focused on keeping his breaths even. It was hard, though, when he could see Rory’s infectious grin as he floated along.

And he was really floating! The water was holding him up like one of those bugs that could run on water! He could feel the chlorine lapping at his sides and arms, but not quite reaching his belly. It was amazing!

All of a sudden he felt a splash next to him and the ripples disjointed his balance.

“Keep it up, Makoto,” Rory said, steadying him by his hip. “You’re doing great.” Makoto smiled and blushed ever so slightly.

“Thanks, Rory,” he replied shyly.

“Makoto…what are you doing?” Rin asked from somewhere at his left.

Makoto immediately lost his balance and squandered around in the water until he found his feet. “Rin!” he exclaimed.

“And Haru,” Rin said, jerking his thumb to the pensive boy who was nose-deep in the shallow end. Makoto didn’t have time to worry about Haruka’s weirdness right now, because…

“Did you see me?” he nearly shrieked. “I was swimming!”

“Floating,” Rin corrected. “But good job,” he added reluctantly.

Makoto turned to Rory and bounced in the water excitedly. “Let’s do it again!” He reached out to touch Rory’s arm when Rin suddenly caught his elbow.

“Hey, Makoto, do you want to learn how to do more?” he asked.

Rory raised an eyebrow. “Woah there Rin, baby steps, right?”

Rin gave him a dry glare. “I’m sorry, whatever-kun, but Makoto needs to learn how to race us, and in order to do that he needs to pick up the pace.” He turned to Makoto. “So? What’ll it be?”

Makoto felt himself heat up. On one hand, he wanted to float some more with Rory. But he’d just made up with Rin, and he’d also told Rin that he wanted to race with them. That also applied in the water, right?

The feeling of being left behind…it was unpleasant, and Haruka and Rin were masters at making him feel that way. Makoto simply had to catch up.

“I’m sorry, Rory,” he said finally, turning to his new friend. “I want to try to swim. Thank you for your help.” Makoto gave him a little bow, and suddenly felt Rory’s hand on his shoulder.

“No problem, Makoto,” Rory said, all grins. “Just remember that you can always come back to Nao and Ikuya and the others. They’ll be here for the next week, too, and they can give you some personal lessons.” Makoto smiled brightly and nodded.

“Sounds like a plan!” he chirped.

“Let’s go, Makoto,” Rin grumped.

They went a little deeper into the pool while Rory went to practice diving with Nao. Haruka followed them slowly, floating in the water and making squid-like motions to wander in their general direction. Makoto smiled. Maybe this would turn out okay. Haruka seemed much mellower when he was in the water, after all, so he didn’t have time to glare at Makoto.

All of a sudden, Makoto felt the pool bottom dip intimidatingly. He scrambled back to higher ground.

Rin gave him an exasperated look. “Come on, Makoto, you’re not going to get better if you can’t even go in the deep end,” he said.

“But I can’t touch the ground,” Makoto said cautiously, watching Haruka slide by.

“Watch me, I’m shorter than you,” Rin explained. “You kick your legs and you keep yourself up. See?”

Makoto couldn’t see. Rin’s legs were underwater, and they looked like weird, wriggly noodles.

“Now you try.”

“Rin, I can’t –”

“Come on, Makoto! We haven’t got all day!” Rin huffed. Makoto could tell that he was really trying on Rin’s patience. This was hot-blooded Rin, after all. And he was right; Makoto was taller than him, so if he could tread the water, then so could Makoto.

…Right?

He moved forward and pushed off the ground towards Rin. He began to kick his legs, but all of a sudden a certain terror seized him and he kicked harder, losing his balance.

“Woah!” Rin gasped. “Relax Makoto! Easy kicks!”

Makoto couldn’t listen. He couldn’t feel the ground beneath him and, slowly but surely, he began to sink.

“No, stop!” Rin called.

Makoto splashed this way and that, trying to find something to grasp. His efforts gave him little time to gasp for air before gravity pulled him back under. His eyes stung with the chlorine in them, and all of a sudden, he felt a pressure on his arm.

He immediately clambered up and took a deep breath, but the figure he was using as an anchor quickly sank down with him.

“Rin!” Haruka roared.

And Makoto was submerged again, but he kept climbing on top of the figure. Nothing quite registered in his mind except panic and fear. He needed air. He needed to get on land.

A strong shove sent him away from the figure, and he splashed some more until his strain got the better of him and he began to sink.

His life flashed before his eyes. His mother smiling at him with her hand on her belly. His father coming home from work and grabbing him up in his arms. The time he went to the park and skinned his knee, the time he and Ms. Lise were reading about shooting stars…

And Mr. Hervé, seating him on his lap, telling him about his adventures at sea…

Someone was holding him and pulling him up with a brutal crushing force. Makoto didn’t struggle; he couldn’t. All his energies were wasted.

When he came to, he was coughing without quite realizing it. Rory was over him, worried and also angry. Makoto immediately felt guilty. Here he was, a new friend, and here Makoto was, making him feel terrible…

“Are you okay?” Rory asked in English. Realizing his mistake, he quickly asked it in Japanese.

“Y-yes,” Makoto coughed. His fingers were pinched on Rory’s jammers and he quickly let go before anyone could notice. “What happened?”

“You nearly _killed_ Rin!” Haruka yelled. Makoto’s heart flew to his throat as he saw the waterlogged and frightened Rin. “You kept pulling him down underwater!”

“Oh no,” Makoto mumbled in shock.

“It’s not your fault,” Rory growled. He glared at Haruka. “Why was he in the deep end in the first place? He had a panic attack! That’s why he did that to Rin, and that’s why they both nearly died!”

Nearly _died?_

“I’m…so sorry Rin!” Makoto cried, and he was heaving big, gulping sobs.

“Ugh, you idiot,” Ikuya suddenly said from behind him. Makoto felt an arm twine around his sobbing shoulders. “Rory said it wasn’t your fault, and it wasn’t. Believe him. _He’s_ an expert swimmer.” Ikuya glared daggers at Haruka, who glared right back.

“Whenever someone has a panic attack in the water, their initial instinct is to climb on whatever they can find,” Nao said sternly. “That’s why Makoto did what he did. He wasn’t thinking about it; it was instinct. Right Makoto?”

“I don’t remember,” Makoto mumbled. “I’m sorry Rin.”

“You don’t have to be sorry,” the blond man from before told him. “Are you okay? Are you hurt? That’s the important thing. Rin is fine; you can see that. He’s a little shaken, but so are you.”

Makoto looked at him and offered a shy smile. The man gave a toothy smile and clapped his shoulder. “You’re alright; you’re a strong kid. Now remember to take baby steps, okay? Let Rory and Nao here teach you how to swim, alright?” Makoto nodded. He couldn’t look at Rin.

It seemed like fate was telling them that they shouldn’t be friends. But just as Makoto thought that, Rin came forward and laid a shaky hand on Makoto’s other shoulder.

“I’m sorry.”

Makoto looked up, confused and teary-eyed. “Why? I nearly killed you,” he protested. “I should be the one who’s sorry.”

“No, they’re right,” Rin sighed. “It was instinct. You only did what your body said to do because you were panicked. I learned about it when I was learning how to swim.” Rin’s eyes suddenly filled with tears and he let out a choked sob. “I’m sorry, Makoto!”

He began wailing, and when Haruka moved to comfort him Rin knocked his hands away and paced to the bench, where he curled up and sat silently.

Haruka looked unsure. He stared at Makoto at what wasn’t anger, but something akin to annoyance.

“It wasn’t your fault,” he relented. “But you agreed to go into the deeper side.”

“Oi, idiot –” Ikuya began. Makoto felt another same strangeness kick in from before.

“He’s right, Ikuya,” he said calmly. “Let me talk to Rin.”

“I’m coming too,” Haruka said automatically. Makoto only nodded and they both went to the bench.

Rin was still sobbing and his nails were digging into his knees. Makoto sat down at his side and just waited for a couple minutes, listening to him hiccup. Haruka fidgeted in front of them, but let Makoto take the lead.

“Hey Rin,” Makoto said finally. “There is nothing to forgive. You were just trying to teach me how to swim.”

Rin sniffled. “But I made you drown,” he said, his voice breaking. “And you w-were crying.”

“Yeah,” Makoto admitted. “But that was because I was afraid I hurt you, not because I almost drowned. Haruka was right; I shouldn’t have agreed to do it if I knew that I couldn’t handle it.”

“That’s stupid,” Rin muttered, turning to give Makoto a watery stink eye. “Makoto, I shouldn’t have forced you to go to the deep end when you didn’t know how to swim. That’s the end of that, okay?” He let out another shuddering sigh. “I’m never getting into the water again.”

“Rin!” Haruka exclaimed.

“No!” Rin shouted. “I’m never, ever going to do that again! I’m never going to hurt anyone again!” He began sobbing again and curled up tighter in his ball.

“You can’t do that! What about our races?” Haruka insisted. Makoto sighed and shot Haruka a glare.

“Rin, listen to me,” he said in a voice that sounded like an adult. “Please listen. I want you to swim some more.”

“No.”

“I’m the kid you almost drowned. You should listen to me,” Makoto continued. Rin clenched his hands against his knees and made new marks with his nails. “You can’t be afraid of the water.”

“’M not afraid of the water.”

“Then what?”

“I don’t…”

Rin sighed. He let his legs fall onto the ground and his arms hang loosely at his sides. Makoto saw the pain in his face and felt his own heart twinge in sadness.

“My dad died a couple years ago,” Rin said suddenly. “That’s why I came here. I was going to go to a private school for swimming, but after that, I couldn’t keep my times and I didn’t make the cut.”

Makoto was frozen. He kept listening.

“He was on a fishing boat. They were going off to see a school of fish, and afterwards they headed off to the wharf,” Rin said quietly. Makoto felt his heart sink and his face pale. “A storm hit and their boat capsized. No one told me anything else, but one of the sailors made it out and he was talking to another sailor, and I heard him.”

A cold sweat broke out on Makoto’s forehead and there was a lump in his throat. Rin sighed and looked up at him with his own tears in his eyes.

“He s-said that my dad had d-drowned under the boat. He s-said that he was trapped and couldn’t swim out. And he drowned,” Rin cried. “And now I’m just like the boat.”


	4. In the Room

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The end of 6th year for Makoto, Haruka, and Rin.

_Chapitre Trois: In the Room_

Makoto hadn’t said a word.

He’d gotten on his bicycle, still in his swim shorts, and had biked straight home.

And at home, he let himself fly apart.

“It’s not your fault,” Ms. Lise had said. “It’s not. You didn’t wish ill.”

But all the same, if Makoto hadn’t asked for stupid goldfish at the wharf…

“My dad was trapped under the boat and he drowned,” came Rin’s voice.

So many people died because of him.

“A true tragedy,” the news report had told him. “They would have returned with the biggest bounty if they hadn’t encountered the storm…”

Everyone had thought that they’d gone to the wharf to get the weight of their fish, but that hadn’t made any sense. Some people wondered if they’d wanted to sell some of the fish in the wharf, but they’d never done that before.

Only Makoto and Ms. Lise had known the truth. And now it was only Makoto.

The scariest part of all this was that Rin…deserved to know the truth. About why the fishermen went to the wharf. About how Makoto sent them all to their deaths.

He heaved a sigh, and got up.

No, he couldn’t tell Rin. This secret was too dark. And it would only hurt both of them in the end. All the same, he couldn’t be Rin’s friend and keep this secret

“It’s better this way,” he said to himself, keeping sadness at bay. “I keep hurting him anyway, so…whatever. We won’t be friends.”

He closed his eyes. But it wouldn’t be that simple.

Once more, he felt like he didn’t want to go to school tomorrow.

* * *

“Welcome back,” Mari-chan said the next morning. Makoto avoided looking at where Rin and Haruka were sitting, even though both of them gave him looks.

“Yeah,” he replied dully. “I keep going back to them.”

“Maybe they like you,” she replied. “If they do, you should be friends with them.”

“I nearly drowned Rin yesterday,” Makoto huffed. Mari-chan looked surprised. “Yeah. I don’t want to be friends with them. I don’t like how mean I get.”

“Well they sure like you,” Kenta-kun said. “Look how much they’re staring.”

Makoto hadn’t wanted to look, but he did. Rin and Haruka were, indeed, staring at him intently. Even when some classmates tried to get their attention, they weren’t interested.

“You should probably see what that’s all about,” Mari-chan suggested. Makoto shook his head.

“I already know. They want to be my friend,” he said quietly. “But I don’t want to be theirs.”

Mari-chan shrugged and went back to doing her schoolwork before class. Betas, after all, didn’t stand in each other’s way. Makoto sighed and fiddled with the eraser. He looked up. Rin gave him a menacing stare, but he could see the hurt beneath it. Haruka was also angry.

But Makoto could take that. What he couldn’t take was the rage that would happen if they knew the truth.

The teacher’s voice sounded in the hall. Makoto pulled out his book and began to read it before class, just like some of the other students. All of a sudden, he heard two chairs being scraped in front of him, and two bodies plopped down almost at the same time.

“Hey, Makoto,” Rin said casually. “Mind if we sit here?”

It was a challenge, plain and simple. And it wouldn’t have been so hard if Makoto hadn’t been consciously avoiding them.

“I…don’t mind,” he replied reluctantly. He could hear murmurs from the other Betas in the back. They were probably worried about his temper, he knew, because he hadn’t kept a clean, Beta track record.

“Yesterday was fun,” Haruka said stoically. Makoto knew that he genuinely meant it, but that there was also an undertone of something else in his words.

“It was eventful,” he said evenly. “Oh look. The teacher’s here.”

“I don’t care!” Rin snapped.

All of a sudden, all eyes were on them. Makoto broke out into a cold sweat.

Luckily, Mari-chan came to his rescue. “Now, now,” she said, and her voice lessened the tension in the Alpha and Omega before him. “Let’s relax. Class is about to start, and it wouldn’t do to be disruptive to everyone else.”

Rin sighed and Makoto inwardly thanked Mari-chan from the bottom of his heart. “Yeah, you’re right,” Rin relented. “We’ll talk at lunch.”

Well, so much for avoiding them.

* * *

They found him even though he was behind the farthest building in the school. Makoto’s heart was in his throat as soon as they sat down beside him. But immediately he realized that the situation was all wrong.

“If you’re mad about yesterday,” Rin began. “I’m really, really sorry.”

 _You have nothing to be sorry about_ , Makoto thought.

“What Rin did was wrong,” Haruka finally acknowledged. “But you don’t deserve to be his friend if you don’t forgive him.”

“Haru, that’s not right,” Rin protested.

“Rin,” Makoto sighed finally. His heart sank when Rin turned to him and he saw complete heartbreak in his eyes. “I’m not mad at you.”

Immediately Rin brightened and sighed in relief. “You’re serious?” he asked. Makoto nodded his head and Rin grinned at him. “Good, because I still want to be friends!”

“I-I don’t think that can happen,” Makoto stuttered. Rin’s grin dropped and Haruka looked on curiously. “Believe me, you don’t want to be friends with me.” He put away his lunchbox. Suddenly, he didn’t want to eat anymore.

Rin stared at him, confused. “We talked about this,” he chuckled. “I definitely want to stay friends with you, Makoto.”

“No, you don’t,” Makoto insisted. He turned to Haruka, hoping for support, but Haruka’s blue eyes were glimmering with unabashed suspicion. He knew that Makoto was holding a secret. And Haruka had never held a high opinion of him in the first place.

“What is it?” he asked.

“No,” Makoto said abruptly. He stood up.

“If you want to cause a scene, then fine!” Rin yelled, standing up himself. “Because we’re supposed to be friends, and you keep running away!”

“That’s fine!” Makoto cried back. “Why don’t you let things be?” A few kids were staring at them as if they didn’t have anything better to do. There weren’t many people in the back of the building, but word travelled fast…

And he didn’t want to cause any more trouble than he’d already caused.

“Give up,” he suddenly demanded. Abruptly, he stood up and turned to leave.

Rin’s arm grabbed him and whirled him around.

“NO!” Rin shouted. “I don’t know what your problem is, but if we don’t talk about it nothing will get done!” Makoto stared at him, eyes wide.

“Why are you so insistent?” he cried. “If I don’t want to be friends with you, you shouldn’t force me!” Makoto shoved his shoulder away and tossed his lunch in the trash. “I want to hang out with other people! Sue me!”

Rin retracted his hand as if he’d been burned. “But we’re your friends!”

“You’re not!” Makoto shouted. “I’m a _Beta!_ Betas aren’t friends with Alphas and Omegas!” He knew what came of friendships between Betas and other Natures now. He drove them to their deaths. “And I can’t swim. You and Haruka can.”

“Makoto, stop crying,” Haruka snapped.

“Makoto, that doesn’t matter!” Rin cried. “You said that Natures don’t matter! You said that you would learn how to swim!”

Makoto stormed past him. “I was wrong,” he said angrily. “I’m sorry. I was wrong. It all matters. I need to know what I am.” That sickly feeling of disappointment weighed heavily on his shoulders. “Don’t be friends with me.” He couldn’t see the faces of the buildings around him, but he knew the way to the classroom. And he was just so tired of it all.

Rin didn’t follow him back. How could he? Makoto tried to feel grateful, but all he felt was the terrible pain in his heart when he knew he’d hurt someone else. Rin had done nothing wrong. And now Makoto was causing him all this grief because he kept having hope that it could work out.

Haruka was right. Haruka had always been right, and it was stupid of Makoto to not see it.

He didn’t go to the swim club that day. And on the way home, he tried to avoid staring at to water as long as he could. Mr. Hervé and Rin’s father were still down there, somewhere, cursing him from the bottom of the watery depths.

* * *

Friday was Rory’s last day before he left for Australia. As an eighth year who was leaving to another country, the reason he was in detention so often was because he'd given up on homework.

So Makoto visited detention, the one place he'd see him for the last time.

Rory was sitting at his desk quietly, tapping his pencil to “Sleazy.” Makoto smiled weakly. Today had been rough, but Rin hadn’t made eye contact and Haruka had only glared at Makoto once before ignoring him again.

Mari-chan had shown him an easy salad recipe that he could do, since obviously Makoto couldn’t be trusted with an oven or a stove. The other Betas also chimed in their own recipes, and Makoto was occupied during lunch trying to write all of them down. He would try them out at home, where his mother had become increasingly tired and bedridden.

_I didn’t see you at swim practice._

Rory’s script was short and curt. Makoto looked up and saw a sad smile on Rory’s face.

 _I’m sorry. I too scared of water,_ he replied with his own careful English. Rory chewed his eraser and thought about it a bit before scribbling something else down.

_The quiet Alpha and the loudmouth Omega switched roles._

_What you mean?_

_They became the loudmouth Alpha and the quiet Omega._

Makoto reread the note to make sure his translation wasn’t wrong. Haruka, being a loudmouth? Unbelievable!

But he wasn’t involved, right?

 _I’m not their friend anymore,_ he confessed.

_Why not?_

_It didn’t work._

Rory nodded his head in understanding. He then peered at Makoto carefully before scribbling down another note.

 _But_ we’re _friends, right?_

Makoto pinched his eyebrows in confusion. _Of course._

_So why didn’t you visit at the swim club?_

Instantly Makoto felt bad once more. How could he forget about Rory, who was leaving today? Rory smiled at him when he looked up, apology written all over his face. The older kid bent down and scribbled something else before passing it to Makoto.

_Don’t worry about it. At least you remembered to come here._

Truthfully, Makoto had been coming here for the past week because his parents still thought he was going to the swim club, and he didn’t want to let them down. He knew how stressful it was for his mother to come all the way to the front door for him, and for his father to make a snack for him when he got back from work.

But seeing Rory was the breath of fresh air Makoto needed. So what if Haruka and Rin were at the swim club? Makoto didn’t have to hang out with them! He had Rory after all.

At least, for now.

 _I come to swim club again,_ he wrote determinedly.

 _Good, I’ll see you there!_  Rory wrote back. He grinned and began tapping to his music once more. Makoto smiled to himself and tapped right along.

After detention, Makoto learned that Rory ran to the swim club every day.

“I have to keep in shape,” he said seriously. “I’m going to Australia, and that’s where the bigwigs are.” Makoto had no idea what “bigwigs” meant, but he assumed that it was a big deal. “Running really boosts your endurance and stamina. It doesn’t hurt to put muscle on your legs, too.” Rory grinned at him and patted his calves, which Makoto seemed to have trouble tearing his eyes from.

“I brought my bike,” he confessed. Rory shrugged.

“That’s cool, too,” he said. “But later on you should run, not bike.”

Inwardly, Makoto frowned. Rory didn’t seem to get it. Makoto wasn’t interested in swimming anymore, and he’d only been interested because of Rory.

Rory took off with a smile and a wave. Makoto unlocked his bike and wheeled it out in the direction of the swim club, then paused.

Did he really want to hang out with Rory?

Rory was an Alpha. And from Makoto’s experience so far, Alphas were trouble. His hands clenched around the handlebars. But Rory was nice. Rory wasn’t a hothead; he was gentle at times, firm at others. He was a person. Makoto didn’t see him as an Alpha.

That didn’t mean that he wasn’t one.

Makoto thought about it a little longer, and suddenly his hands pushed his bike in the direction of the swim club. Even if this was a mistake, even if Rory hated him by the end, Makoto would rather see a friend off then leave him when Rory expected him to be there.

It didn’t matter if Rin or Haruka were there. It didn’t matter if they thought he was a hypocrite. This was the last time he would see Rory, and therefore it was the last time he would hang out with another Alpha or Omega.

“Last time,” he promised himself. “This is it. This is all.”

* * *

Everywhere Rory touched was electric.

Makoto could feel him pressing a hand against his stomach, making sure that Makoto was afloat and comfortable.

“Keep your arms outstretched, then bring them around,” Rory instructed. “Cup your hands like you’re trying to push the water aside and carve a path.”

Breaststroke. Makoto didn’t really find it pleasant, but his legs seemed to like the motions. If he could only get his arms to cooperate…

It was hard to focus, though, because Rory was holding him securely. And Makoto, Makoto…

Makoto _liked_ it. More than he should.

He suddenly splashed and stood up in the water. Rory smiled at him.

“It’s okay. Go at your pace, Makoto,” he said kindly. His smile, his large hands, his kind words, it all made Makoto feel a little dizzy.

“Can I try without your support?” he asked. Then, realizing how it might’ve sounded, Makoto backtracked. “I mean, because I think I can do it.”

“Go ahead,” Rory said encouragingly. Makoto’s heart throbbed again. “Don’t restrain yourself.”

He swam back and Makoto gulped. Slowly, he plunged forward and felt the water come around his arms.

_Use the momentum. Pretend you’re a squid._

He cupped his hands and pushed the water back. At the same time, he bent his legs and straightened them, forcing the water to evacuate the space he’d made.

And there it was: the brilliant glide. Makoto felt like he was a boat, cutting through the water, lost at sea…

A horrible lightning storm. Choppy waves.

Makoto coughed and heaved as his feet planted firmly on the ground.

“Are you okay, mate?” Rory called from somewhere behind him.

“Fine…” Makoto choked. _Mr. Hervé. Rin’s dad._

“Don’t strain yourself,” Rory sighed. “That’s the worst thing you could do. Here, let’s try another stroke, yeah?”

“Is he okay?” a softer voice called. Makoto turned to see Nao smile at him from the other side of the pool. “Hey, Makoto, how about _I_ teach you a new stroke?”

“Backstroke?” Ikuya scoffed from another lane. “Not as cool as freestyle.”

Nao gave him an exasperated stare before smiling at Makoto once again. “It’s different from the others. Backstroke doesn’t involve keeping your head underwater. I think it’ll make a difference.”

“Hm, maybe you’re right,” Rory mused. “Makoto, I think you should try it.”

“Do you think I can do it?” Makoto asked him shyly. He immediately regretted it when Nao gave a knowing smile.

“I’m sure you can!” Rory cheered. “Go on and try!”

Nao was an efficient teacher. After explaining the concept and demonstrating, he immediately put Makoto into practice.

It was surprisingly easy. As Nao’s soft hands guided him from underneath, Makoto slowly grew accustomed to the feeling of the water splashing at his front side instead of at his back. He stretched his arms out and felt his back muscles protest, but the movement required the exact amount of power he possessed.

And his frustrations melted away when met with the overarching sky above him.

There were no thoughts of drowning, of Rin and his father, of Mr. Hervé. There was only Makoto and endless liberation, away from the guilt, away from the restrictions of a Beta. He muscled through, and he faintly noticed that Nao wasn’t holding him up anymore.

“A natural,” Rory’s voice said with awe. Rory. Makoto liked him. Like-liked him.

And he was leaving.

Makoto faltered and stopped. His feet found the ground and he huffed harsh pants.

Rory was cheering, and even Ikuya was giving a quiet applause. Nao floated up to him and placed a hand on his shoulder.

“You really have some potential,” he said, making Makoto feel like a rare gem. “You should practice that more. You could honestly get decent, if not amazing times with that stroke.”

Makoto blushed at the praise, and with a shy glance he blushed harder at the enthusiastic Rory. Nao gave another knowing smile, but then leaned into his ear.

“I’m sorry, Makoto, but he’s mine right now,” he whispered. Makoto grew beet red. “We’re going to part ways after today, but for now, I’d like to spend some time with him.” He pulled away and Makoto floundered for words. Of course. Nao and Rory were in the same eighth-year class. 

In the end, he could only manage an “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be,” Nao laughed, ruffling his hair. “You didn’t know. But I’m going to be selfish today.”

Makoto nodded. He saw Nao’s smile and knew that the older boy didn’t hold anything against him.

“But just to let you know,” Nao added. “He really seemed interested in you. Even though you’re a Beta. But I suppose that has nothing to do with it.” Nao stared into his eyes. “There’s something amazing about you, Makoto. I can’t quite put my finger on it, but I’d like us to continue being friends.”

Makoto flushed again and nodded. “I’d like that too,” he said. “You and Ikuya. You two are nice.”

“Oi!” Rory called. “Stop all that love fest! Congrats Makoto!”

“Good job,” Ikuya added, seeming disinterested. Makoto caught a strange glance that Ikuya sent Nao’s way, but decided not to think much of it. “I wouldn’t have believed that it was the first time you swam that stroke.”

“I know, right?” Rory laughed. “He’s amazing!”

“N-Nao’s amazing,” Makoto said eagerly. “He teaches really well.”

“I’ll say,” Ikuya agreed. “He taught me the free, too. Even though that’s not his preferred stroke.”

“Now guys,” Nao laughed, splashing Rory. “This isn’t about me. This is about Makoto. Congratulations. You’re an excellent swimmer.”

Makoto ducked his head at the praise, but before he could reply a shout came from the other side of the pool.

“Stop! Just stop!” Rin’s voice roared.

Makoto turned and, to his horror, saw Rin shove Haruka into the pool. The deep end.

His body was frozen in terror, but Haruka quickly righted himself and swam straight away from Rin’s departing figure. His eyes were stormy as he marched straight out of the shallow end and snatched one of the pool towels.

“What-” Rory began.

“Shut up!” Haruka roared. It was the loudest Makoto had heard Haruka.

“Hey now,” Nao tried softly, but Haruka only glared daggers at him. Makoto nearly flinched. Haruka’s eyes were pure steel. Immediately Nao cowered under the gaze of the Alpha.

“ _Stop_!” Rory yelled, standing in front of Nao and glaring back at Haruka. “He didn’t do anything. You apologize right now!”

Rory’s voice echoed through the gym, and Makoto could see the blond haired man heading towards them urgently. Haruka was shaking with rage all over, but suddenly, Makoto could see a head of black hair suddenly swim towards the Alpha at breakneck pace.

_Ikuya!_

Makoto now knew the blond haired man’s urgency. He plunged forward and tried to get out of the pool as fast as he could. Ikuya, however, was faster. He tackled Haruka head on and tossed him to the floor.

“You…apologize… _right…now_!” he screamed. Haruka tossed him off and rolled him over to deliver punches of his own.

Rory was heading towards them, enraged, when Makoto gave him a Look. Makoto didn’t know why or how, but there was a certain power he placed with that one look, and Rory immediately stopped.

If Rory could feel his emotions, Makoto didn’t know. But he managed to get out of the pool and pull Haruka off of Ikuya with no small amount of effort.

“Haruka…!” he grunted, trying to tame Haruka’s struggles. “He’s not your enemy! Stop, please.” Ikuya was making to stand up and fight, but Makoto turned his back on him and shot him the same Look. He added a trace of pleading, because he knew that Ikuya was less level-headed than Rory.

“Let me go,” Haruka said darkly.

“Only if you promise not to cause a fight,” Makoto replied evenly. “Only if you talk to me.”

“Forget about the second one,” Haruka hissed, and Makoto could feel the acid in his tone. “Now let go of me before I drown you. On purpose.”

Fear made Makoto let go of Haruka very suddenly, and fear made him ashamed to look Haruka in the eye. He heard Haruka tsk at him and leave, grabbing another pool towel on his way out.

“Makoto,” Ikuya growled behind him. “You should have let me at him.”

“No,” Makoto sighed, turning towards him. Immediately the rage flew out of Ikuya’s eyes. “He’s _hurt_ , Ikuya, and that would’ve just been worse.”

“You’re bleeding,” Nao’s voice came from the pool. He was shaking. “Makoto…”

“Nao, calm down,” Rory said gently, seating Nao on the bench. “Makoto, can you get another towel?”

“I’ll talk to the coach,” Ikuya said darkly before storming off. Makoto looked at his stomach and noticed with a wince that his torso was scratched and freshly bleeding. He grabbed a towel for Nao and one for himself, wrapping it around his gash and pressing.

“How is he?” he asked softly. “How are you, Nao?”

“Fine,” Nao said with a trembling smile. He was leaning heavily on Rory. “I’m fine. I promise.”

One glance told Makoto that Rory was having conflicting thoughts. He realized that it was, certainly, Rory’s last day. And here was Nao…

“You should talk to Haruka.”

Makoto looked up and met Rory’s blue eyes. There was a rage there, but a certain calmness. “If you don’t talk to him, I’ll never be able to forgive him.”

_I won’t be able to leave Nao like this._

“Don’t worry,” Makoto said firmly. “Haruka knows better. He was mad because of Rin.” His voice gained a certain inflection. “I know that Nao will be fine. He is strong. He’s strong enough to teach me, after all.” Rory’s figure lessened in tension. “Nao, how do you feel?”

Nao looked at Rory. “I’m alright. I was just startled,” he said, touching Rory’s shoulder. “I promise I’m fine. I will be fine.” They shared a heated stare.

“I won’t go,” Rory determined.

“No,” Nao said firmly. “You will. You’ll follow your dreams.”

This was a conversation between them. Makoto turned and headed towards the exit.

“Wait,” said the blond haired man. “Kid, come here.”

“I’m sorry,” Makoto said gently, but he realized that it wouldn’t work on the man. He was a Beta, too.

“Coach Sasabe,” the man said, patting his shoulder. “You need to take care of that wound.”

“I need to meet my friends,” Makoto protested, but it was clear that Sasabe was having none of it.

“Come on. You won’t get anywhere without a shower and a bandage,” he said, ushering Makoto to the showers. Makoto spared one last glance at the exit Haruka had left, but he knew he wouldn’t be able to follow until much later.

He only hoped that Haruka and Rin were alright.

* * *

He didn’t know where Rin lived, so he was going to go to Haruka’s house first. To his surprise, he saw a figure out in open water on the way home, looking out into the distance.

The ocean was a mystery to Makoto. Where before he only felt a strange sort of detachment, now he could only feel fear and mystery. But that was most certainly Rin out there, swim shorts and all, plainly looking out into the distance as if he had nothing on his mind.

But Rin wouldn’t push someone into the deep end of the pool without harsh feelings. And even though he tended to overreact, Rin Matsuoka was never one to deny the truth.

So Makoto decided that he’d be the easiest one to talk to. Rin had always been open, at least, more open than Haruka.

He mustered his courage. Not only would he be facing the ocean, but he would be talking to Rin after openly rejecting him.

Before he could take a breath, Rin spoke.

“Go away.”

It was only two words, but Makoto stopped dead in his tracks. Still, he didn’t make to move one step back.

“Rin, listen.”

“I said _go away_!” Rin shouted, turning to Makoto with unveiled fury. “There’s nothing to say! There’s nothing you can do!”

“Rin, I’m not trying to do anything!” Makoto snapped. Rin quieted down, but he still held a fuming gaze. “Look, I’m only trying to understand what happened.”

“It has nothing to do with you,” Rin spat.

“You’re right,” Makoto nodded. “But…well…” What could he say to that? It didn’t really have anything to do with him, after all.

“You wanted to leave, so leave,” Rin continued. He turned away from Makoto. “I don’t understand why you want to butt into our personal business, but I’m tired of it. And I’m tired of trying to chase you and be your friend, so you can just shove it up your butt.”

Even though Makoto had expected it, it still hurt. He felt a frown tug down the sides of his face.

“I’m only here to listen,” he said quietly. “Haruka offended my other friends. And I think he was hurt.”

Immediately Rin turned to him with urgency. “I hurt him? I knew he could swim, so I thought-”

“Emotionally,” Makoto corrected. Rin stared at him, slack-jawed, but then slumped his shoulders.

He’d revealed to Makoto that he still cared about Haruka. Willing or not, Makoto knew that Rin would talk.

“He told me he didn’t want me to go to Australia,” Rin said after a pause.

“You want to go to Australia?” Makoto asked in surprise. Rin shot him a glare.

“That’s why I wanted to be friends with you,” he admitted. “I wanted someone Haruka could be with. I’m leaving. Haruka knows. I want to swim faster, be better. I want to make my dad proud.” Rin kicked at the sand. “He always said that I could be the best swimmer ever if I wanted to. I know that I’m good, but I want to be better. I want to face the pro swimmers in Australia, no matter what.”

Makoto stared at him, watched as his eyes glimmered as he looked out onto the sea. Once, those eyes would fill him with a strong passion and attachment towards Rin. But now…they filled him with guilt.

He took Rin’s dad from him. He put such a burden on Rin’s shoulders.

But Rin…deserved to know. He couldn’t keep it from him any longer.

“Rin, there’s something I need to tell you,” Makoto said.

“You have to take care of Haruka, okay?” Rin said suddenly, voice breaking. “You have to promise me that he’ll be okay. Because he’s a great swimmer, too, you know?” Rin’s eyes were watering. “But he can’t come with me. I have to learn all by myself.”

“I…I can’t,” Makoto whimpered. “I…”

“You have to!” Rin shouted, grabbing Makoto’s arms. “You have to! You’re the only one who’s this close to him already!”

“He hates me!” Makoto protested. He sniffed suddenly. The tears were coming. “He glares at me every time, he tells me I’m just a Beta, he doesn’t even listen to me!” Instantly he knew he’d said the wrong thing. Rin wasn’t stupid. Rin knew all of these things, too, but Rin was trapped.

There really was no one left for Haruka except for Rin, after all. And if Rin left…

Rin’s knees hit the sand. He cried and clenched his fists, pounding the ground.

And Makoto, who was sure he was going to tell Rin the truth today, felt his Beta senses kick in.

“It’s going to be hard for him,” he began, feeling a shell cover his heart. “No matter what. Whether I am his friend or not, it’s going to be hard for him. But Rin…I’ll try my best. I’ll be there, okay?”

Rin looked up at him, but instead of the relief Makoto had expected, he saw anger.

“I can’t trust you,” he said evenly. “But I can’t be there for Haruka, either, so I’ve got no choice. He told me…” Rin gulped. “He told me that he liked me. Like-liked me. He wanted to be Mated to me when we were older.”

Makoto blanched. It was unheard of for an Alpha and an Omega to be betrothed so early in their lives. And given the relationship between Haruka and Rin, it was clear that Rin wanted to be untethered by these bonds.

Haruka was Rin’s best friend. And so this change in their relationship was an even bigger stress than Rin could ever know how to deal with.

“He can’t…we can’t be together,” Rin sniffed. “Why would he…how could he…”

“You’re amazing,” Makoto said, unveiling his heart. “You don’t know it, but your enthusiasm, your excitement; it’s infectious.”

“What are you talking about?” Rin asked, glaring up at him. Makoto heard the waves roar on the beach. He smelled the sea right next to him. But all he could stare at were Rin’s eyes, and those were the anchor for his next words.

“I liked you too, Rin,” he admitted. “That’s why Haruka hated me so much. That’s why I understand him. I liked you too.”

Rin was frozen. Makoto’s heart thumped in his chest.

“Not anymore, though. I…I don’t-”

“So what?” Rin interrupted, voice as sharp as a blade. “So you were my friend when you had a crush on me and then you dumped both of us the minute you got over me.”

“That’s not…!”

“Shut up!” Rin roared. “Am I just a trophy husband for you? Just someone who’s happy and passionate? Just an Omega who’ll cheer you on from the sidelines?” Makoto stepped back, afraid. Rin stood up, and his eyes were flashing dangerously. His voice rose until he was screaming. “I thought you were different! I thought you out of all people could understand what it was like when someone tried to conform you to a stereotype!”

There was nothing Makoto could say. Rin wiped at his eyes and turned away.

“I never, ever want to speak to you or Haruka again,” he said darkly. “I hope you both rot.”

Makoto trembled. This was Rin’s raw, true feeling. And this was before he’d told him that he was the cause of his father’s death.

Once Rin was out of eyesight, Makoto carefully walked out of the beach, sat on the bench overlooking the ocean, and began to cry.

* * *

Whoever owned Ms. Lise’s house now often rented it out to tourists who wanted a travel spot close to the beach and the temple. Makoto paid no mind to them. He someday wanted to live in Ms. Lise’s house, especially since his parents wanted to move away from Iwatobi once the twins were born.

Today, there was a woman traveling down the steps. She was an Alpha; her posture practically demanded the title. Her blue eyes were angry, and she marched down the steps almost like she wanted to punish them.

She looked startlingly familiar.

Makoto froze when she caught his eye. She was about to move on, but he stepped in front of her.

“Ma'am?” he said quietly. “Do you live in that house?”

Her eyes flicked towards him impatiently. “No. Not yet.”

He let her go and watched her walk off and stop. She turned to him, and immediately he knew why she seemed so familiar.

Haruka’s eyes, the striking blue that flashed through a dark fringe of hair, was on the woman’s face.

“Are you…” she asked. She walked back up and sniffed him. “You’re a Beta, aren’t you?”

Makoto nodded. He would be irritated with her audacity to classify him without knowing him, but he was curious.

“You look about the same age as my son. Nanase Haruka?” she said. She must have seen the light of recognition in Makoto’s face because she folded her arms. “I’m his mother. Yuki Nanase.”

Makoto bowed his head. “Nice to meet you, Mrs. Nanase,” he said politely. “I’m…” Makoto paused. “Haruka’s classmate.”

“First name basis?” she said, interested. Makoto kicked himself inwardly at his mistake. “Then perhaps you can talk to him about what he’s upset about. He won’t tell me anything.”

He turned away from her. “I’m sorry, but I don’t know anything,” he said quietly. “I’m just going to head home.”

Before he could continue forward, Mrs. Nanase called out again. “Your hair is wet. And you’re carrying a gym bag, aren’t you?” she asked. “I know you know something. You were at the same swim club just a little while ago.”

Mothers were fearsome. Makoto turned back around and saw that Mrs. Nanase was looking at him intently. “Why won’t you help my son?”

“We’re not friends,” Makoto stammered. “We’re not all that close.”

“You’re a Beta, aren’t you?” she said imperiously. Even though her words enraged Makoto, her stance and her demeanor instilled fear into him.

She was an Alpha, sure, but on top of that she was a parent. And she was staring at him in a way that made him feel as frail as dust.

“Y-Yes ma’am, I am,” he managed. She gave a curt nod and grabbed his wrist.

“Then your parents won’t mind if you come with me,” she remarked. Makoto turned back to his house. His parents would be infuriated. Mrs. Nanase clearly assumed that they were Betas, but he could already tell that his father would shout at her if he saw what she was doing.

All the same, Makoto felt responsible. Haruka, after all, hadn’t wanted him to steal his only friend. It was understandable in the end…wasn’t it?

He felt a certain calmness cover his mind. It was his job, his duty, to fix the mess Haruka and Rin had made towards each other, right?

It was his Nature, right?

All these questions filled his head, and before long Makoto found himself in front of a large, simple house with two stories and a backyard.

“This is our temporary home. Please talk to my son,” Mrs. Nanase said in a tone that left no argument. Makoto nodded quietly. He only hoped that his parents wouldn’t be too cross with him when he got back.

* * *

He didn’t know if it was this obvious to everyone else, but it was clear to him that Haruka was only pretending to be asleep.

Makoto knew what it looked like when someone was sleeping, and whatever Haruka was doing wasn’t it.

But this gave him a chance. If Haruka was pretending to be asleep, then he could only listen.

“Rin’s leaving, I heard,” Makoto said conversationally. He was perched at the edge of Haruka’s bed, which was clean and orderly like the rest of his room. Makoto could see that Haruka liked to draw a lot, and pictures of him and Rin were posted all around his walls. “I don’t know what it’s like to lose a good friend, but I talked to Rin earlier and it was really hard on him.”

Haruka continued to breathe silently. It was hard for Makoto to know what to say next. Haruka was always so quiet, and he’d never really talked to him. Only Rin, who was loud and brash, could ever get through that silent exterior.

But perhaps, not even Rin could, could he? Makoto thought about it. Rin and Haruka were clearly not communicating about Rin’s departure. They didn’t seem like they truly knew how to talk to each other about such sensitive issues.

Makoto sighed to himself. If Haruka was truly asleep, then his next words would mean nothing. But Haruka was simply too still to be asleep. His breaths were too shallow and not even.

“Rin wants you to be happy. He told me that he became friends with me because you liked me at first,” Makoto continued. “Rin wanted to make sure you had a friend after he left. That’s why…that’s why we were friends in the first place. That’s why he kept chasing after me.”

A hitch in Haruka’s breath made it apparent that this was news to him. Makoto continued to talk, pretending not to notice. “Rin really cares about you. But his dream…he doesn’t like being tethered. And you both are very close, but sometimes I think it feels oppressive to him.”

“Why are you here?”

Makoto turned and met with bleary blue eyes. But he knew that Haruka had heard every word because his mouth was turned in a permanent pout and his eyes were flashing in annoyance.

“Hi Haruka,” he said, looking down at his lap. “Your mom brought me here.”

“She doesn’t know who you are,” Haruka replied instantly. Makoto shrugged.

“We met up while I was coming back from the swim club,” he explained. “By the way…you really hurt my friend’s feelings.”

“Who cares?” Haruka snapped. He was staring at Makoto like he was looking for a fight. “They were meddling, just like you. The thing I hate the most is when people _meddle_!”

Makoto tried not to flinch. “Like when I meddled in your and Rin’s relationship?” he offered.

Instantly Haruka deflated. He turned away and grimaced. Makoto knew that he was reevaluating Makoto’s role in their friendship. After all, now that he knew Rin was only after Makoto for _him_ , there was no reason to stay mad at Makoto.

Makoto now had the upper hand. “I wasn’t trying to steal Rin away from you, Haruka, honest,” he said seriously. “I…know I haven’t been a good friend to either of you, but…” He looked away. “I really wanted to be your friend. You two are the first friends I’ve had in…a long time.”

It was strange, but sitting there with a quiet Haruka reminded Makoto of days long past, where he would hide under blankets and read stories with Ms. Lise when the rain fell. Where Ms. Lise would dress him in scarves and pretend he was a royal king.

He looked outside. It was a clear evening.

“I never wanted another friend,” Haruka growled. “I only wanted to be with Rin.”

“But he doesn’t want that,” Makoto said flatly. He could tell that Haruka was irate with him, but he pushed on. “And it’s not just about what you want.”

“I offered to follow him to Australia,” Haruka protested. “I understood that he wanted to go!”

“He wanted to do it alone,” Makoto replied, glancing at Haruka out of the corner of his eye. “Maybe it’s an adventure he has to do by himself.”

Haruka sneered at him. “He’s an Omega,” he said in a low voice. “He could be in big danger.”

And even though Makoto vowed that he wouldn’t get angry, even though Haruka’s own mother had said worse about _him_ , no less, Makoto found himself bristle.

“He’s a human, too,” he snapped. “Before being an Omega, Rin’s a _person_! Why can’t you understand that?”

Haruka sat upright. “I just want to be there for him! Is that too much to ask?”

“It is if you want to control him!” Makoto said passionately. “Haruka, do you really have a crush on Rin? Or are you just being selfish?”

Instantly he knew it was the wrong thing to say. Haruka kicked him straight off the bed, leaving Makoto crumpled up on the floor.

“I’m not trying to control him!” he roared. “I just don’t want him to go! He’s my only friend, and that’s not fair!” Makoto stared at Haruka, afraid, as he threw off the comforter and lifted him by his collar. “It’s dangerous out there, you get it? Rin is strong, but he’s still an Omega! He can still get taken advantage of!”

“But Rin is still Rin!” Makoto snapped, slapping Haruka’s hands away. “He’s still stronger than most, and he’s obviously got people looking out for him! Not just you!” He shoved Haruka back.

“I can’t let even the littlest thing happen to him!” Haruka roared, pushing Makoto to the floor. “If he’s hurt, I-!”

Haruka paused and faced away. Makoto got up and looked at him, trembling with fury.

“You know, I had a crush on Rin, and even I know that he’s not a wuss,” he spat.

That was the wrong thing to say again. Haruka looked up at him in a new light. Makoto could see the possessiveness characteristic of an Alpha in those eyes. “Haruka, I didn’t mean-”

“So that’s why you’re so concerned,” Haruka said in a dark voice. “You don’t want me and Rin together after all. My mom just scared you into coming here, and you’re trying to separate us.”

“Haruka, please-”

“I don’t want to hear it.” Haruka was slowly closing in on him, like prey. “You’re really dirty, you know? All this time I thought that you were at least the tiniest bit concerned about Rin himself, but you’re just trying to stake a claim on him.”

Makoto’s heart thumped. Never before had he seen an Alpha’s anger to this degree, and now it was clear that Haruka just targeted him with all of his frustrations.

He did the only thing he knew that would work at that moment. He kneeled down and placed his hands on the ground, palm up. A gesture of subservience.

Haruka paused.

“I wasn’t lying when I said I didn’t want to s-steal Rin,” Makoto stuttered, fear slurring his words and making him cry. “I wasn’t lying when I said Rin is his own person.” Haruka’s feet were right before him, and Makoto only felt sadness. “I lost a friend a long time ago. I c-caused her to…”

_Ms. Lise._

He looked up at Haruka, dull and numb. “It’s hard. It’s one of the hardest things in the world, losing someone. But for you, at least you get to see him again, right?” Makoto stood up, heedless of Haruka’s rage. “I wish I could have what you have. I wish that I had a friendship that could last no matter how far apart you are.”

Little by little, Haruka’s shoulders fell. His head turned to the side.

“I’m afraid,” he finally said. “He’ll forget about me.”

“He won’t,” Makoto said firmly. “Believe me. But he needs this. And you need to give it to him.”

They didn’t say anything after that. Makoto saw himself out and Haruka didn’t follow. Despite helping Haruka come to a conclusion, Makoto felt drained. He stared out into the sky. It was turning dark.

His parents had to be worried. But Makoto first had to visit someone he hadn’t visited in a long time.

* * *

“ _On n’est jamais content l_ _à_ _o_ _ù_ _l_ _ó_ _n est_ ,” he recited. “You told me that a long time ago.”

The stone was cold, unlike the warm arms that had always greeted him with a hug.

“It’s hard now,” Makoto whispered. “Sometimes I wish that I was somewhere else. Sometimes I wish that we’d never met. Then I wouldn’t have killed Mr. Hervé. Then you both would still be here.”

_I killed Mr. Hervé._

Makoto started to cry.

“Sometimes I wish that I didn’t exist.”

He wrapped his arms around his knees and sobbed, ignoring the night sky. His heart ached for the strong smell of his best friend’s perfume, her infectious laughter, and her reassurances that she would always be there.

“You promised…!” he shouted into his legs. “That you would always be here! And you _lied!”_ He cried brokenly, gut-wrenchingly. His eyes burned and his stomach cramped from his heaves, but he didn’t stop. “I th-thought everything you said was true. I thought that it didn’t matter what your Nature was. But it _does_!” Makoto sniffed and wiped his nose.

The stone remained still. There was no wind, no sensation on Makoto other than the blades of grass against his thighs.

There was no sign of life.

“Ms. Lise,” he choked. “I miss you.”

Makoto didn’t know when he started to sleep, but he felt a hand shaking his shoulder seemingly a moment later.

“Hey!”

Makoto shoved away the hand. He wanted to be alone.

“Dang it Makoto! Get a grip!”

Makoto’s eyes flew open and he turned.

“Rin…”

“Yeah, duh!” Rin snapped. In his hand was a large flashlight. “We’ve been looking everywhere for you! Your dad and even your mom are chewing Haruka’s parents out.”

“Mh?” Makoto mumbled. He shook himself awake.

“I didn’t think you’d be here,” Rin said quietly, sitting down next to him. “Why are you here, anyway? These are the graves of the sailors from that day the boat sank into sea.”

Rin pointed to one of the gravestones not too far away. There were a fresh bouquet of flowers on it.

“That one belongs to my dad. We put flowers on it every morning,” he explained.

“Rin,” Makoto sighed. He was hollowed out completely. “Rin, look.”

“I’m sorry I snapped at you,” Rin said haltingly. “I got upset. And…you don’t like-like me anymore, right?”

Makoto shook his head.

“Good. So…I mean…”

Rin didn’t want to be friends. He’d never wanted to be friends with Makoto. He’d wanted a companion for Haruka.

In a way, it was liberating. It meant that Makoto didn’t have to impress Rin or try to keep him as a friend. It meant that Makoto had a little less to lose from telling the truth.

“I’m the reason the boat sank,” Makoto said.

It was quiet.

“What?” Rin asked. His voice was indiscernible.

“I…” Makoto gulped. “I wanted goldfish from the wharf. The captain of the ship, the lead fisherman, went to the wharf to get me goldfish. They caught up in the storm, and…”

“You’re so stupid,” Rin said. Makoto felt a pang of fright before he jerked his head to Rin in surprise.

Rin was laughing.

“God, you’re so stupid,” he chuckled. “You really think that it’s your fault?”

“B-but…”

“Makoto, dude, listen,” Rin said, turning to him fully. “I said this before, and I’ll say it again. You’re a cool guy.”

It was impossible to keep his jaw closed. Rin was completely wrong.

“All this time, I was telling myself that I should’ve made Dad stay,” Rin said. “I had a cold the day he was leaving, but I could’ve cried and kicked and screamed. I could’ve made him stay.”

“Rin…”

“Let me finish,” Rin said with a huff. “The point is that there are so many things that could’ve made it not happen. But it did happen.” He turned to the stone they were sitting in front of. “My mom and I talked about it a lot. And every time I say that kind of stuff, she says that Dad cries a little.”

Rin sniffled and wiped his face. “I don’t know who you lost, but think about it. If they saw you blaming yourself, wouldn’t they cry? Wherever they are?”

Makoto had only seen Ms. Lise cry twice. But Rin’s words resonated within him. It wasn’t hard to picture Ms. Lise looking at Makoto now, feeling his heart torn to shreds, and…crying for him.

Mr. Hervé too. He would be sad and heartbroken if he saw Makoto like this. If Makoto knew anything, it was that the old fisherman loved to see him smile. That was why he’d set out to get the goldfish anyway.

Rin nudged him with his elbow.

“Haru talked to me. He said he was sorry,” he said. “He said he’d been jealous. I don’t think I’ve ever talked so long with him before.” Rin glanced at Makoto. “It was because of you, right? Because you’re pretty cool.”

Makoto laughed, finally, and it felt like all the darkness flew away and light filled in. He wasn’t friends with Haruka and Rin anymore. Ms. Lise and Mr. Hervé were still gone, and there would always be a guilty feeling in his chest.

But there was another feeling. He could feel Ms. Lise and Mr. Hervé smiling whenever he smiled. He could feel Rin’s body heat right next to him, telling him that it was alright. His parents, his friends at the swim club; he could feel everyone supporting him.

Makoto couldn’t stop smiling.

“You’re right, Rin, I am pretty cool,” he laughed. Rin smiled and shoved him playfully.

“Come on, dude. We’ve gotta go,” he said, getting up. “Your parents are literally this close to beating up Haru’s.”

And indeed they were. Makoto could hear his dad yelling from the top of the hill, and right beside his voice, Makoto’s mom’s. Makoto had never seen his dad so upset. As they descended the hill, Makoto broke out into a run.

“He could be hurt right now!” his mother shrieked, as pale as a sheet. “He could be kidnapped, or _worse!”_

“Calm down!” Haruka’s mother said authoritatively. Her husband and son were behind her, silent.

“How dare you!” Makoto’s dad roared. Makoto flinched at the sound. His father was usually a mellow person. It was surprising to see him tower over the other Alpha, red-faced and snarling. “Don’t you _fucking_ dare tell my wife to be silent when you’re the one who lost _our son!”_

“We won’t find him by yelling at each other!” Haruka’s mother retorted. Just when his father was about to snap, Makoto ran up and tackled him around the waist.

“Dad!” he cried. “Daddy! I’m here!”

Instantly, his father engulfed him.

“Oh dear god!” his mother sobbed, placing a hand on Makoto’s shoulder. She was trembling. “Makoto, where have you _been?”_

Face planted against his father’s chest, Makoto turned to the both of them. “I was visiting Ms. Lise. I…needed to talk to her.”

“Oh Makoto,” his father choked, turning him around and squeezing him close. Makoto was strained between the crushing arms, but he cried in happiness and wrapped his arms around his dad’s neck.

He was lifted up effortlessly. One of his dad’s large hands supported his back while the other arm was under his bottom, like he was a little kid. It must have looked ridiculous, with Makoto looking as tall as he was for a middle-schooler, but Makoto didn’t care.

“We’re done here,” his mother said curtly, breathing heavily. “Honey, take me to the hospital.”

“What?” Makoto and his father said simultaneously.

“I nearly lost my only baby and now my other two are ready to come out,” she chuckled, though it sounded strained. “Get me into the car. We have to move it!”

Makoto was set into the backseat very quickly, with his mother and father in the front. His father started the car while putting his seat belt on.

“Do you want to drop me off?” he asked. He’d been practicing easy recipes just in case his parents had to leave in this situation.

 _“You_ are not leaving our sight young man,” his father answered hoarsely. “Ever. And if you hang around that Nanase kid you will be grounded for the rest of your life.”

“Dad…”

“Enough,” his dad said angrily.

“No, Dad,” Makoto protested. “Haruka…he didn’t do anything wrong. His mom was just worried.”

“It doesn’t mean she should’ve taken you,” his mother said in a strained voice.

“You two would’ve done the same thing,” Makoto said flatly. His parents looked at each other, then at the road ahead.

“Whatever honey,” his mother said crossly.

“When did you grow so defiant?” his father bemoaned.

Makoto smiled.

“It’s just who I am,” he finally answered.


End file.
